Lone Wolf
by thatswhatbeesaid
Summary: [UNDER REVISION] Dozens of them, created in test-tubes within the darkest depths of the Reikai for one purpose; powerful beyond the wildest of imagination, these creatures now have their chance to prove themselves, their fate resting in the hands of only one. Will she be able to gain the freedom her kind finally deserves? Or will her new-found unleashing prove to be her undoing?
1. Chapter 1: Growing Restless

**Pleasure to meet you, and thank you for stopping by!**

 **My name is B.J. and I am new to Fanfiction (Although I used to write Fanfic around 10 years ago, I consider myself new now!) , and I look forward to hearing some feedback! I am in the process of writing a book, and thought some fanfics would make nice little writing exercises during my writers block! :)**

 **I will try to update at least every other day, although sometimes more, maybe sometimes less!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **(Updated: 11/11/15)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Growing Restless.**

She flipped mindlessly between the 5 file-packets laid out before her, resting her well-defined face on her closed fist as she sat at the small blue and yellow table in the bright, enclosed room with only a thick metal door for access. Her ankles, covered by worn out black-leather combat-style boots, were shackled to the glistening floor, a thin coating of sheer ice below her feet; she knew she could probably break the shackles with ease, but it gave small comfort to the frail men in lab coats on the other side of the two-way mirror across from where she sat, so she would concede to these precautions for the sake of their petty pride.

Her long, almost bushy hair laid across her back in varying tones, primarily white, grey and silver, with just a splash of black; while poking out of the upper part of her skull her wolven, round-tipped ears twitched occasionally, picking up on the faint noise coming from behind the door. Her elongated top canines extended over her bottom lip in a dangerously elegant manner; and a well groomed, coarse-haired tail sat stone still behind her, draping over the edge of the small metal chair. She tapped her long, black, pointed nails on the table as she read the last of the packets in silence, carefully absorbing all of the information contained within them.

A smile tugged it's way to the corners of her lips as she finished reading the final packet, a glimmer of solid determination and hope welling in her chest.

This was her chance. This was all of their chances. They needed this, after all these years. She would **make** this happen for them.

"I need to speak with Koenma," She spoke firmly, raising her animalistic, honey golden eyes to the partition, "Without restraints."

* * *

"SHE WHAT?!" Koenma lashed out at George, who wrung his blue hands nervously in front of him, standing next to the ruler of Reikai's desk, appearing increasingly withdrawn from the conversation as Koenma berated him.

"Koenma Sir.. Sh..She said she wants to speak with you… Here in your office.. Before accepting the mission.."

"Absolutely not! I will speak to her in the confinement room," Koenma demanded sternly, shaking his head from side to side animatedly, "Tell them I'll be down in 10 minutes!"

"Well, sir…" George objected again, as Koenma bit down irritably on his pacifier, "You see, she's on her way up now, she said if she couldn't speak to you, she wouldn't accept," He spit the words out hurriedly, as if he couldn't wait to get them off of his tongue; anxiously closing his eyes and ducking his head as if anticipating a swift blow.

"Stop them immediately! She cannot be unrestrained! We'll just use someone else!" Koenma feverishly picked up his phone, dialing as fast as his fingers could manage.

George quickly snatched the phone from his hand, simultaneously slamming it back down onto the receiver: he knew he would probably regret that action later, "Sir! You told me yourself-"

"I'm the best you have." A female voice spoke suddenly and calmly from the doorway, her wrists being unshackled by the 2 ogre escorts by her side, "Honestly Koenma this is a _bit_ unnecessary," She continued, rubbing her wrists mindlessly as she approached the desk, the temperature in the room dropping considerably as she moved, "We aren't _actually_ animals." Her tongue licked the tip of one of her canines playfully, "Mostly,"

Koenma panicked, falling ungracefully behind his desk, "Kirazuki! So glad you could join us!" George bowed graciously and repeatedly at his side, muttering feverish greetings under his breath.

Kirazuki rolled her eyes, settling into the seat placed in front of Koenma's desk, "Please, just call me Kira. I need to negotiate the terms of this mission before I can accept," Koenma sat up straight once again, clearing his throat and trying to regain his composure as he opened the same file Kira had been reading earlier, "I do not wish to be set free as is stated in the terms,"

Koenma seemed quite taken aback as he hopped back up, recoiling into his chair, "You don't wish to be let into the Makai?" Although he didn't know her terribly well on a personal level, he did know she had dreams, and it was freedom.

"No," Kira asserted firmly, "Any one of us could break out of Reikai and do anything we please," Her tone was calm but, almost threatening in the same breath, "You made us all for a purpose, you have more than enough of us to completely eradicate the Ningenkai if you wanted to. It's completely unnecessary to continue building. You need to use us. We want you to use us, we want to prove ourselves to you," She leaned forward, flipping the papers on his desk to the 'Terms' section of her mission, "Each individual will receive their own contract proclaiming a currently undisclosed amount of servitude to the Reikai. When these contracts expire, they have the option to renew them, or be set free given they have a clean track record. These are my terms." She paused, leaning back in her chair, "I swung by the others on my way up here to talk to them about it, their expecting a positive answer." She grinned as she folded her arms over her chest. Checkmate.

Koenma began to sweat nervously, knotting his hands together and subconsciously gnawing his pacifier, "Well… " Inside the Reikai were many hidden secrets, one of which sat patiently in front of him; he knew this was not going to work in his favor and sighed heavily, he was essentially backed into a corner, by his own little amazing creations... "This will be our maiden voyage. If, and only if, this is successful, we will begin to implement the use of yourself and the others using your 'contracts',"

Kira finally smiled, her muscular figure relaxing into the chair, "Good. Now I have a few other things to discuss," Koenma blinked in confusion, looking up from where he had been changing the terms of the contract for the current mission, "You've stated in the mission portion that I am to follow them unnoticed for as long as I am able," Koenma nodded, flipping to the 'mission' section of the file, "Each of these individuals has very heightened awareness, they'll likely sense me from miles and miles away. The one with the Jagan implant will also be troublesome, I'm unsure how to get around that,"

Koenma clapped his hands together excitedly, "I'm so glad you've asked!" Opening a small drawer on his desk, he quickly pulled out a leather-looking black strip, "This gadget will actually completely restrain your spirit energy as long as you're in human form, you'll be virtually untraceable. I've actually been _dying_ to try it out but a certain Spirit Detective is too _stubborn_ to actually wear it," His eye gave an irritated twitch at the end of his ramble.

Kira's ears folded back in displeasure, "I have to take human form?" She replied flatly, her tail bristling to this statement.

"You can't be wandering around Ningenkai with dog ears and a tail!" Koenma muttered condescendingly.

Her eyebrow rose and twitched in annoyance as she grit her teeth together, "I'm not.. a dog…There's a difference…" She began to throw out a small amount of her spirit energy, her tail, ears and fangs slowly receding back into her body as she groaned from the uncomfortable feeling of the human ears poking through her skin. Koenma sweatdropped as he looked at her, although her animalistic features were gone, her human ears were slightly pointed, and the tips had an odd black tinge to them; Kira shot him a glare, "It's the best I can do right now," It was the truth, and he would just have to deal with it, she had never had to _actually_ do this before.

Koenma tossed the small gadget to Kira nonchalantly, "Place this around your neck."

"A collar?" Kira glared, placing the strip around her neck and fastening it, "You couldn't honestly come up with something a little less degrading?" She muttered grudgingly.

Koenma laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and deciding to quickly change the subject, "Any other questions?"

"What do I do when they figure out I'm following them?" Kira tipped her head to the side slightly before beginning to rub her human ears, tugging at the lobes, "I don't like these," She added as an after thought.

"Oh, yes," Koenma began digging around in his desk again, pulling out a large manila envelope, "You'll need to give them this, it has the assignment you're all tasked to."

Kira blinked a few times, "What's in it?" She questioned with a grin.

Koenma glared at her steadily, "Your mission, that happens to be highly sensitive information, so don't even think about peeking at it," He warned sternly.

She raised a single eyebrow as her golden eyes peeked at it, "It's my mission, why can't I know what's in it?"

This time, Koenma refused to budge, sending her a sharp and firm glare, "Highly. Sensitive. Information!"

Kira huffed as she snatched the envelope, turning it over in her hands; she nodded firmly and stood to her feet, "See you when we're done," She smirked, turning to exit his office.

When they were sure she was finally gone, George looked to Koenma quizzically, "Koenma, Sir, may I ask for the details on this situation?"

Koenma's expression darkened ominously as he exhaled a wavering breath, "Well.. Do you recall when the Makai was threatening to attempt destroying the Kekkai barrier? Before the 3 Kings took over their territories?" George nodded firmly to this, he actually very vividly recalled this situation, Koenma had been in a full uproar, "We needed.. a means of protection should this actually happen..A front line of defense, so to speak.. We started creating these very powerful children crossed with certain demonic animal spirits, one of which stood before you just minutes ago. These children had naturally grown to maturity, nurturing and learning to harness their unique abilities.." He paused dramatically, folding his hands in front of his face, "They have become more powerful than we anticipated."

George looked taken aback if not slightly appalled by the fact that the Reikai, who dealt with life and death, could have such a blatant disrespect for the natural cycle of life, taking it into their own hands to create it at their own discretion, it didn't sit well with him, "But, sir…"

Koenma nodded solemnly, he knew exactly what the ogre was thinking. The decision to make these creatures had weighed very heavily on his mind when the idea first came to him. But he had needed to make a decision that was best for all 3 worlds, and at the time, they were it... "I know, George... They have grown restless in recent years, resentful even…" He sighed again, "But, for now, the majority are still on our side, or at least on Kirazuki's side.. A week ago 2 went rogue and broke free from the Reikai, escaping into the Makai; we have done our best to cover this up from the others, we were worried this may cause more of them to rebel. We told them they were injured in their Simulation battles and are staying in the infirmary until they're well... But we need them destroyed immediately. Though I fear, should this go wrong in any way.. The consequences will be astronomical."

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for Lone Wolf Chapter 2!**

 **-B.J.**


	2. Chapter 2: Found at Last

**B.J. here! I decided to post this chapter ahead of time, I had it done when I posted the first chapter.**

 **These first few chapters, naturally, will start off a little slow, but I promise they'll pick up!**

 **Hope you enjoy the second installment of "Lone Wolf"!**

 **-B.J.**

 **(Updated: 11/13/15)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Found at Last.**

Kirazuki sighed irritably from her spot in the tall tree: this collar-like gadget may just work to well. It had been 3 weeks since she began following the mundane lives of the Spirit Detective and his friends.

She had to admit, at first it was terrifying being in the Ningenkai. The first few days were incredibly disorienting and confusing; she had lived out her days up until this point locked away below the Reikai, her only knowledge of the outside world found in books and Simulations; to experience so many different smells, sights, so many foreign sounds, which her ears were still particularly sensitive too, had been incredibly overwhelming. But she had adjusted to it, the sounds of cars and buses no longer made her anxious, and the feeling of the blowing wind on her face no longer had her on high alert.

Although she had learned much about normal day to day interactions, how they all carried on their quotidian lives, she highly doubted these humans were capable of even protecting themselves, let alone the entire Ningenkai..

Yusuke, to her, was powerful, but lacked any kind of discipline. It fascinated her that this was the best Reikai could do, what with his blatant recklessness and wild, untamed temper. He wasted out his days with petty human emotions, arguing with what Kira assumed was his mate and fellow comrades. She scoffed to herself, she would never put up with that type of disobedience and disrespect from those who were supposed to be below her.

Currently, Yusuke, his mate, Kazuma, Kurama and the ferry girl were preparing to go out to dinner. Hiei had been difficult to keep tabs on, he was constantly in and out of range, although she was positive it didn't matter. The grim reaper would leave most evenings to travel back to the Reikai, while the human girl only came to visit every so often. Kurama, like Hiei, often wandered off during the night; but for the most part Yusuke and Kazuma, who she learned quite quickly they called by his surname, spent most of their time together outside of school. Regardless, Yusuke was still her main target, so she followed him more than anyone else.

As they began to exit, Kira prepared to descend from her tree; cracking her neck and outstretching her stiffened arms. She had considered more than a few times just revealing herself to them, it was taking far too long for them to notice her on their own; surely this mission would expire by the time they finally realized she was there.

When they were far enough away, she hopped down effortlessly, trailing a fair amount behind the group as they walked the busy streets. When they finally reached their destination, she took up occupants at a small cafe down the road, sitting at one of their small metal outdoor tables. She waited idly as they all chatted, laughed together and ate; pondering how they could be satisfied with such seemingly boring human lifestyles, especially Kurama. She recalled reading in his file that he was like them. Sort of.

After much waiting they finally departed, Kira waiting a few short minutes before silently following them as they trailed to Yusuke's mates to drop her off before proceeding back to Kazuma's; once they had all managed to make it inside, she resumed her position in 'her' tree, preparing for another night of uncomfortable sleep and closing her tired eyes. This was proving to be quite bothersome, she'd much rather just go throw pebbles at their window.

She was suddenly stirred by a very faint whizzing sound, instinctively darting her hand out in front of her, snatching whatever it was out of the air with ease.

Kira opened her golden eyes carefully, revealing in her hand a single… Flower?

"You've been following us for a few days. I cannot detect any spirit energy, but I _have_ been picking up your scent as of late," Kira peeked around her hand; at the base of her tree stood Kurama.

 _Finally_.

"3 weeks to be exact," Vaulting down from the dangerous height, Kurama couldn't conceal his obvious surprise, his emerald eyes widening considerably. He had only noticed her consistently as of 3 days ago, how had she managed to fly under his radar for 3 entire weeks? "I was starting to wonder how long I would be playing this game."

"Who has sent you?" He spoke with caution, taking a tender step backwards, as if to brace himself in case she were to attack suddenly.

"Oh, right!" Kira swung a small black back-pack off of her shoulder, digging around before pulling the now worn manila envelope out from the depths of the bag, extending it generously to Kurama, "Koenma needs you all. He's sent me with this,"

"Why would he not send you directly to us?" Kurama questioned further, carefully grabbing the small package from her hands. It didn't seem to make sense to him; why the Reikai would choose this method of delivery.

Kira gave a half shrug, walking by him briskly towards the apartment complex, "I am simply following the orders I was given. I would contact Hiei, he's included in this as well, but I can't keep track of him." She snapped off the thorned portion of the rose, tucking it behind her ear, "Thanks for the warm introduction, by the way. I'm Kira,"

Kurama's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he followed her slowly, he mentally called out to Hiei, hoping he was in range, ' _Hiei, we need you_.' He noted that although she appeared to be human, her ears had a strange point and discoloration to them; he also took notice of the way she moved, her movements were far too meticulous and her shoulders far too straight, something about the way her muscles moved just gave off the hint: she wasn't human, although she didn't currently feel, seem, or act like a threat, he couldn't help his instant mistrust. Koenma never sent outsiders to deliver missions.

Kira knew exactly where she was going, picking perfectly the correct door to enter and waiting for Kurama, "It would be best if you enter first," She gave a kind smile, as it was something that seemed common among this group. She was not very knowledgeable of normal human interaction between one another, formalities and the like, but she did pick up quite a bit of information in the last few weeks.

Kurama nodded in agreement, and almost as soon as he opened the door they were bombarded with the horribly shrill sounds of Yusuke and Kuwabara arguing, "Urameshi! Its my turn!"

"Screw off Kuwabara!"

"It appears we have a guest," Kurama stated loudly as he entered, trying to draw their attention away from their petty argument. He moved to the side to allow Kira entrance, shutting the door swiftly behind her.

Kuwabara and Yusuke both snapped their heads up from where they were currently wrestling over what appeared to be a videogame, Kuwabara was the first to speak, "Is that your _girlfriend_?" He grinned wide from ear to ear, Yusuke swiftly hit him in the back of the head, muttering something about not being so rude.

Kurama chuckled, shaking his head, "Unfortunately we've just met," Kira glanced wearily towards Botan, who was seated on the couch, wondering if she had any idea who she was. Or if she even knew she existed. "She's been sent from Reikai to deliver us a new mission."

"And why would the toddler not just deliver this himself?" A new voice spoke from the corner, causing several in the room to jump. Hiei must have arrived. Perfect.

Kira shook her head, "I don't know anything, I was told to follow you until you noticed me and then deliver the package," She glanced towards Kurama out of the corner of her eye, "Kurama just found me,"

Kuwabara looked dumbfounded by this, "How long have you been following us?!"

Kurama chuckled nervously, but spoke first, "3 weeks. I picked up her scent only 3 days ago but thought perhaps it was just a coincidence. I suppose it wasn't."

"Hn, I'm surprised you couldn't smell that putrid dog stench before that," Hiei scoffed from his corner, a pointed glare aimed at Kurama, "You should be able to recognize it, after all."

Kira felt her annoyance spike: she absolutely hated being called a mere dog, but she chose to leave it alone for now, she would have plenty of time to deal with it later. "Well I don't think she smells like a dog," Kuwabara chimed in, a blatant attempt to comfort her. She didn't need it.

Yusuke looked towards Botan quizzically, narrowing his eyes in threatening suspicion, "Did you know about this?

Botan raised her hands in front of her face defensively, shaking them back and forth, "I know absolutely nothing this time! Hello dear, welcome!"

"I believe this tape will contain answers to all of our questions," Kurama broke the impending argument, having opened the manila envelope.

"Well put it in then!" Yusuke bellowed.

Kuwabara snatched the small tape from Kurama's hands, practically slamming it into the VHS player, the large TV in front of them flickering to life. Kurama offered Kira a seat in one of the living room chairs, but she respectfully declined, crossing her arms over her chest instead. She was not nearly comfortable enough around these people to let her guard down in such a manner.

* * *

" _I suppose you're all wondering by now what this is about," Koenma suddenly appeared on the screen, sitting relaxed at his desk, "Depending on how long it's taken you to notice Kirazuki, this could either be a very good thing, or a very forlorn warning." The screen suddenly changed to what looked like a file paper, "105 years ago, the Reikai began experimenting, learning how to create exceptionally powerful beings, should we ever need to use them."_

 _The screen flickered to a dimly lit room, lined with large liquid filled glass tubes, inside of which were what appeared to be small human forms, "We combined the DNA's of various demons and grew them into infancy, before forcefully infusing them with their own demonic animal spirits."_

 _Again the screen changed, revealing a brightly decorated room with several toddlers, varying in appearance, running around in childlike play. One particular child sending out what looked like a small tornado at another, who countered with a swift bounce of lightening, "We raised them, carefully nurturing each of their individual abilities starting at a very young age."_

 _The next image was one that Kira knew all too well, another dimly lit room with a large coffin-looking machine in the center, computers scattered randomly around the room. "We trained them using a massive amount of simulated battle scenarios starting at early adolescence, building their knowledge of fighting techniques." Again the screen was back on Koenma, "They grew at an alarming rate, more powerful than we could have ever imagined."_

* * *

Kuwabara lept forward, pausing the tape, "Are you one of these things?" He asked accusingly.

Kira nodded slowly, holding a steady, calm eye contact with him, "I was the first embryo to grow beyond infancy."

"You don't look like a demon," Yusuke proposed suspiciously, Botan swiftly elbowing him in the ribs.

Kurama chuckled now from beside Kira, "Yes, well, neither do Hiei and I,"

Kuwabara leaned forward slowly, pressing play again.

* * *

 _Two pictures suddenly lit up the screen, Kira recognized them instantly and her stomach dropped. On the left was a male with two massive brown wings protruding from his shoulder blades, his eyes were completely black and his beak-like nose sat awkwardly, almost unfitting on his face, his long, sharp talon-like nails glinted dangerously. On the right was a woman, her skin was vibrantly patterned black and brown scales, her eyes completely blackened, she appeared to have a long, snake-like tongue poking out from behind her lips, long slate black hair laid across her back. "These two have escaped into the Makai, and they must be dealt with as soon as possible. The male is Tobikuma, his spirit infused with that of an eagle; his specialty is air-based attacks. The female, Tatsumi. Speciality, water, spirit of the serpent."_

 _Again Koenma was on the screen, "Kirazuki will begin training the 4 of you immediately, you all must know how to deal with these creatures. You have exactly 3 week to train before I send all 5 of you to the Makai. After the first week of training, you'll all be sent to Genkai's for the remainder, she's been informed and studying the creatures with us for the last 15 years and may be able to provide extra insight. Good luck." The screen went dark._

* * *

Silence filled the room as they absorbed the information they had just been given; Hiei began to walk silently from the room, "Where do you think your going, Shorty?!" Kuwabara yelled out, startling several in the room.

"I'm not being _trained_ by someone who's only ever seen the basement of Reikai" He spat dangerously, almost as if he took offense to the notion.

Kira tipped her head to the side, casting Kuwabara a small smile, "If he'd like to be killed by those two, that's up to him."

Before anyone could utter another word, Hiei had unsheathed his blade, making an unseen move for Kira in an attempt to prove a point, his pride ever so slightly wounded by the statement.

To everyone's surprise, she had already gracefully extended her hand, catching the blade cleanly between her fingertips, although a small drop of blood traced its way down the glistening metal.

The subtle look of shock that momentarily flickered across Hiei's face did not go unnoticed by Kurama, or Kira. She knew she caught him off guard, and she could tell he wasn't used to that. "You _are_ going to want my training," She boldly held his crimson eyes, almost challengingly as she as she moved the blade with her finger tips to her side, "We are _nothing_ you have ever dealt with before."


	3. Chapter 3: Let the Training Begin

**Hello again!**

 **I know, I know, I'm bad, posting 2 in one day :O**

 **I just couldn't resist! Enjoy!**

 **(Updated: 11/13/13)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Let the Training Begin.**

"I CAN'T HIT A GIRL!" Kuwabara screamed as he, Yusuke, Kurama and Kirazuki walked out into the clearing far into the heavily wooded forest. Hiei was no where to be seen, although Kurama had a sneaking suspicion he was watching from afar; his injured pride wouldn't allow him to be there presently.

Kira glared at him, flickering to his side in an instant and giving him a swift kick to his head, "Then you will die also." She threatened ominously as he fell to the side.

"Kuwabara has an Honor Code," Kurama chuckled to himself as he watched the interaction.

It was their first day of training with Kira, and she had promised to go easy for the first 2 days. She had selected Kuwabara to be her first sparring partner, who had heatedly refused to train with her. Kurama had to admit, although he had known this Kira a very short time, after watching the videotape involving the mission he couldn't help but feel connected to this.. Creature was not the correct word to him; this being, primarily due to her crossing with a demonic animal spirit, although his fox-like curiosity still wondered what kind. It was obviously a canine, given Hiei's dig of 'putrid dog stench', but he wanted to know exactly what she was.

Kuwabara scrambled to his feet, sending a stiff glare towards Kira, "I won't die!" He proclaimed.

Yusuke laughed, shaking his head, "Just fight her, Kuwabara, show her what you've got!"

Kuwabara glared at him, crossing his arms firmly and looking away, "I can't hit a girl, Urameshi.." He was sure stubborn, Kira could admire that, she was equally so.

She smirked, "Fine, you can just sit there and watch," She said slyly, walking into the middle of the field, "Who's first?" She taunted. Part of her wanted to finally remove the damn collar around her neck, but she figured it would be better to leave that for a dramatic surprise.

"I'll be the guinea pig," Yusuke volunteered, unbuttoning his green jacket and dropping it to the side.

Kira nodded; she had to admit, she was excited to see what the Spirit Detective was actually made of, given his infantile age and attitude, "3….2….1."

Yusuke immediately struck a defensive position, only to notice, Kira was gone.. "Where the hell did she go!?" He mentally reached out, trying to sense her spirit energy around him. He could sense none. He began to sweat, searching the field with his eyes but remaining on guard.

"You're dead."

Yusuke's eyes widened, a chill running down his neck as he spun around to face Kira, standing peacefully behind him with a small smile upon her face.

"Number one. We are fast. Tatsumi is the quickest of the two." Kira seemingly disappeared again, he drew up his hand at once, preparing his spirit gun out in front of him.

Yusuke recoiled, "How am I supposed to fight someone I can't even see!?" He yelled desperately, spinning now in an attempt to locate her. He suddenly felt a nail drag across the side of his neck.

"Number two, Tobikuma's nails are as sharp as knives. Don't let him touch you."

Yusuke swung around to face her, releasing his spirit gun; but she was already gone as he watched it crash into a tree. He gritted his teeth in anger. "How is this even a fight!?" Yusuke was clearly frustrated, his spirit energy began to lash out around him; he must have been a fighter that relied on his emotion.

Kira appeared again where she had started near the middle of the field, "That's the point!" She snapped, a feral growl escaping her, "As you stand now, they will kill you before you even know they are there!"

Kuwabara winced from the sideline, casting a sideways glance towards Kurama, "Could you see her?" He asked nervously.

Kurama closed his eyes with a gentle shake of his head, "Only glimpses when she changed her direction.."

Kira reached towards her neck, unfastening the collared device; almost instantaneously, a large surge of spirit energy seemed to explode from her small body, the ground around her immediate location freezing over. Her pointed human-like ears sinking back into her skull as one-by-one her wolven ears sprouted back to life, her canines extending painfully from her mouth and her fine tail re-protruding itself from behind her. "Finally!" She called out, gently massaging her ears and wiggling her tail as if to stretch it out; she was unable to contain her excitement, this was her.

Yusuke took a stumbling step back with widened chocolate eyes, he could definitely sense her now. Kuwabara's face held an identical expression: she would be something he would refer to as a ' _really_ big bad feely'; the Saint Beasts had nothing on these things.

' _A wolf._ ' Kurama thought to himself, noting that with the appearance of her demonic features came many scars across her entire milky body, one particularly large one he could see directly under her rib cage that extended up underneath her white cropped shirt; as she was barefoot he could also see two more jagged scars that traveled around the entirety of her ankles, obviously restraint marks of some kind. He wondered to himself exactly what kind of 'nurturing' they had received in the Reikai to carry so many scars. "Yusuke," He spoke suddenly, calling in the Spirit Detectives attention, "Would you mind if I took over?" His tone was calm and Yusuke nodded in response, casting a cautious side-ways glance towards Kira as he exited the clearing. Kurama sensed Hiei was close now, likely feeling the sudden massive burst of energy, his curiosity must be getting the best of his pride; he walked slowly into the field, removing a single rose from his hair before whipping it, extending out into his signature Rose Whip.

"How come it doesn't have thorns?" Kuwabara questioned from the sideline, having seen Kurama's rose whip before, he knew this wasn't its normal appearance.

"This is simply training, I do not wish to inflict actual damage."

"3...2...1."

And they were both gone. Although the Spirit Detective and Kuwabara could sense their general locations, they could only hear the slicing of Kurama's whip through the air.

"She's _playing_ with him."

Kuwabara screamed in a childish panic at the sudden appearance of Hiei at his side, falling clumsily into Yusuke who tipped like a row of dominos, "When did you get here?!"

Hiei could see them perfectly. Whenever Kurama whipped in her direction she'd change course, almost as if she could sense when he finally locked onto her. She was getting closer, slowly but surely she was closing in on her target. She wasn't attacking yet, simply trying to get inside his attacks. What kind of sick creations did the Reikai concoct in those labs? He was disgusted, not only with Koenma and the entire Reikai, but with these...things.

She was finally there, spinning down towards the ground facing away from Kurama, she delivered a hard kick to his chest. He started to fly backwards, but not before wrapping his Rose Whip around her tail, dragging her back helplessly with him. She winced as she felt the vertebrae in her tail crack, the ache spider webbing up into her spine. Some days it was more of a nuisance than anything to have a tail. As he crashed loudly into a large tree on the outskirts of the field, his whip unraveled around her tail; but instead of fleeing in the opposite direction, she propelled herself into him, shoving him back into the tree once again, snaking her hands onto his sides and releasing a small burst of spirit energy, encasing the lower portion of his body in glistening ice to the tree.

"That was good," Kira said quietly through slightly winded breaths, not bothering to move back, as she would have to unfreeze him shortly anyway.

"I apologize for the tail, I know how considerably sensitive they are," He joked in return with a smile; he was remarkably impressed with these beings.

"Why doesn't binkybreath just send a bunch of _you_ to get those other guys!?" Yusuke shouted out in anger.

"Fear," Kira answered without hesitation as she released another small burst from her palms, shattering the ice around Kurama, "They are afraid. They've never unleashed their animals before," She twitched her tail again, she could tell at least one of the vertebrae had been separated. She knew this would throw off her balance slightly.

"How nice of you to join us, Hiei," Kurama regarded him kindly, trailing back towards the group as he retracted his whip once again.

"Care for a friendly spar?" Kira smirked, her hand began to glow with spirit energy before what appeared to be a sword made of pure ice produced itself from her palm, wrapped tightly around her hand just above her thumb, as though it were an extension of herself. She had been itching to fight him since the 'putrid dog stench' comment just last night.

Hiei closed his crimson eyes, reaching up to unfasten his cloak, a smug smirk filtering onto his face. He watched her play with the others, and now he knew exactly how she fought. He would not be caught off guard, or underestimate her a second time, "I would be more than happy to put you in your place, _mutt_."


	4. Chapter 4: Secrets of the Reikai: Part 1

**Hello again! Boy I got some writing DONE during that down time! The hardest part is going to be NOT posting it all at once ;)**

 **This is chapter 4.1. As I wrote chapter 4 it just kept getting longer and longer, so I decided to break it up into 4.1 and 4.2 :) I will release 4.2 probably sometime tomorrow!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-B.J.**

 **(Updated: 11/13/15)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Secrets of the Reikai: Part 1**

It had been hours since they had last seen either Kirazuki or Hiei.

"Do you think one of them's dead?" Although Yusuke meant this as a light-hearted joke, the possibility of such an outcome seemed increasingly plausible. It was clear Hiei didn't like the little ice demoness, and it was clear she took obvious offense to his.. Choice of words when referring to her.

Kurama chuckled in response, shaking his head in a definite 'no', "They _have_ strayed quite far from us, but both are alive."

"Should we… Go back to my place?" Kuwabara asked, growing increasingly bored with waiting for their return.

* * *

He was fast, but she was faster.

She was strong, but he was stronger.

Blow after blow, block after block they retreated farther and farther into the expansive forest, completely lost in a malicious, blood-hungry dance.

Hiei had to admit, it was almost pleasant to have someone who could finally keep up with him; had it not been an abomination created by the Reikai. He extended his blade above his head and down his back, hearing the chilled ice clink against it before propelling it out in front of him, Kira following flawlessly with the motion of his sword, flipping herself over his head.

She hopped backwards onto a branch in another tree, a smirk plastered across her face; this was the first time she had firmly landed since they had begun, "You're good," She called breathlessly as Hiei landed on a branch a few trees away.

"And you're tired," He spoke snidely from where he stood, before they were both gone in a flash once again.

* * *

By the time the trio arrived back at Kuwabara's, Keiko was already preparing to leave for the night. Botan sat nervously at the table, knotting her hands in her lap; Yusuke noticed immediately, "What's up, Botan?"

She looked up at him sheepishly, "Wait until after Keiko's gone," She whispered feverishly, waving with a large bubbly smile as Keiko exitted. They had told Keiko that Kira was Botan's cousin from a foreign country; Keiko didn't fully believe them, but hadn't pressed the issue, much to their appreciation. She exhaled a sigh of relief, "Well.. I did a little digging of my own, you see," She produced a videotape from her kimono, "And.. Well, I found this under Kirazuki's file." She held it out, but Yusuke hesitated taking it from her.

"Whats it about?"

"Well.. I'm not quite sure to be honest, I haven't watched it yet either."

Kuwabara lept in front of Yusuke, snatching the video from Botan, "Well let's watch it then!"

* * *

' _Finally_ ,' Hiei thought to himself as he watched Kira take a misstep on a branch, falling backwards off of it and nearing the ground quickly. He followed suit, but the very instant his feet touched the ground in front of her she had hooked both of her feet behind his ankles, taking the legs out from under him. In the same movement she pushed herself up and forward, drawing her weapon out. To her own surprise, as she landed straddling Hiei's upper torso with her sword pointed at his throat, his blade was already drawn to her own neck.

Kira noted how considerably warmer he seemed than her own body, it almost stung her inner legs, ' _Fire demon,'_ She reminded herself with an ominous shudder. She hated fire. He had a particularly nasty gash across his well-defined chest, the blood now smeared across her thigh, "Looks like a draw," She smirked, quite out of breath as she relaxed her position, mindlessly sitting down on his stomach. He felt infinitely warmer than herself.

Hiei grunted from the sudden pressure on his abdomen; he also had a slight increase in respect for the...creature. Her swordsmanship was on par with his own, it was fascinating that a simulation could provide the same effective training as actual battle, "Hn, it would appear so."

Kira lifted herself to her feet grudgingly, retracting her own ice-blade, and extended a friendly hand out to Hiei; which he naturally declined, lifting himself up. Kira responded by rolling her eyes, "Honestly, you could at the very least be more pleasant. We _are_ stuck on the same ship for the next few months,"

* * *

' _Test 43' flickered across the screen, the scene set in the dimly lit room with large glass test tubes. A single infant floated motionlessly inside, "Begin infusion." A male voice spoke, followed by a 'click' sound. They watched as a large needle dropped into the tank, positioning behind the small infant. Another 'click' and the needle sprung forward into the back of its neck; the once still figure suddenly flailing desperately, lashing around within the liquid. "Subject 43 appears to have survived the initial infusion." A man spoke out of frame of the camera._

 _The screen changed again to another dimly lit room with a single metal chair in the center, placed behind a worn out table with some kind of device fitted to the top of it. A toddler sat in the chair with short white and grey hair. A young Kira; her hands in the rectangular contraption in front of her, "Initiate test 2." There was a click, and the young version of Kira cried out loudly as what appeared to be electricity pulsed up her arms._

 _Apparently they didn't get the desired effect, because the man spoke again, "One more time. Initiate test 3." Again the toddler screamed a heart-wrenching scream._

 _Finally they got the reaction they were looking for, the small box freezing in solid ice, "Subject 43 specialty: Ice."_

Tears welled in Botan's eyes as she watched, bringing a quick hand up to cover her mouth.

* * *

"I barely tolerate the Detective. What makes you think I would have any interest in _pleasantries_?" Hiei sheathed his weapon finally, beginning to trail off in silence towards the clearing he had left his cloak in where they had started their match. He wondered silently to himself how they had managed to travel so far. How long had it been, anyway? Regardless, he didn't particularly feel like expelling any more energy on running, so walking it was.

Kira rolled her golden eyes, following after him, "Make the time pass a little faster; not make your comrades want to kill you; just for fun, to name a few." She listed off one by one, jogging to catch up with him until she was beside him.

"Unfortunately 'fun' and I don't mesh well together," He replied stoically, ignoring her presence at his side.

"Oh, I am so surprised.. No, let me just brood around and attempt to make everyone around me miserable by insulting them all the time." Kira's sarcasm flowed freely from her voice, her ears folded back in displeasure. She may have thought Yusuke and Kuwabara were particularly loud and obnoxious, but she _really_ disliked Hiei.

"Essentially. And the feeling is mutual, mutt."

* * *

 _The screen was now lit with the room which had the coffin-like object placed in the middle, but it quickly flashed to an inside view of the 'coffin', where a young-teen appearing Kira lay still, her eyes closed peacefully as her chest rose and fell rhythmically. There were wires attached to her temples and chest, although it was unknown where they led, "Initiating first trial run of simulated battle: Makai."_

' _Click.'_

 _Her body lay still for several minutes after the click, before those watching the video noticed a spike in her breathing, her chest starting to move up and down rapidly. "She found them," The male video-voice spoke again. Seconds later blood splattered on the camera lens, a terrifying gasp coming from the young Kira on the screen, blood seeping through her white t-shirt._

'That explains how she received that scar...' Kurama noted mentally to himself, listening to the gurgling gasps coming from the television as men in lab coats dragged her out of the machine.

"How come she was actually hurt if it was just a simulation?" Yusuke pondered from next to Botan on the couch.

No one in the room seemed to have an answer.


	5. Chapter 5: Secrets of the Reikai: Part 2

**Okay okay okay...**

 **I lied... Again...**

 **Had to cut back on the amount of chapters in my Docu ;P Here is the second half of chapter 4! Aka Chapter 5... :P**

 **-B.J.**

 **(Updated: 11/13/15)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Secrets of the Reikai: Part 2**

"Stay out of my head, and I'm not a mutt." Kira picked up her pace, walking ahead of Hiei now, who smirked from behind her. He enjoyed toying with the abomination.

"Don't think so obnoxiously loud. Would you prefer _thing_?"

Kira sighed, but remained silent. It was entirely pointless, she decided to head back to the field without Hiei in hopes the trio was still waiting, disappearing in a small flicker.

* * *

 _The video suddenly cut out again before flashing to another room they hadn't seen before. It looked as if it were just a large white room, except for 2 ankle shackles in the center, holding down a slightly older looking teenage Kira, who was shouting incoherently, desperately trying to free herself of the shackles, her sharp black nails cutting the skin that peeked out around the restraints; her hair was fitted tightly in a bun on the top of her head for an unknown reason._

" _We are about to begin a stress test on subject 43's Spirit Energy," The same male voice explained, "We have... Essentially 'shut off' its ice abilities to test how well its Spirit Energy will react to danger." There was that 'click' again. Suddenly they could hear Kira, as a small opening seemed to appear out of no where on the wall directly to her left, "PLEASE!" She screamed, cowering away from the opening._

 _A small, hollow barrel poked out of the opening before a loud 'tshhh' sound erupted from it, scorching white and blue flames dancing across the young demoness' shoulder, the skin began to blister almost immediately._

" _STOP!" She sobbed. They didn't._

* * *

Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara were no where in sight. She didn't blame them, the sun was setting now, it must've been at least 6 hours since they had first left the area.

Hiei, on the other hand, was already waiting, "And here I thought you were quicker than me."

Kira glared at him, growing increasingly frustrated with his presence. In the Reikai, she would've simply beheaded anyone for being so infuriating, "Oh my apologies, I was unaware we were in competition."

And they were both gone again.

As they neared the apartment, Hiei picked up on Kurama's thoughts; he always thought incredibly loud for a fox. His blood began to boil.

* * *

 _The image was now another room, similar to the last, but Kira was now set against the farthest wall, both her ankles and wrists shackled, a blindfold over her eyes. A single demon stood in the room with her, lightning dancing out of his left palm, "Conditioning Sequence 1. You may start."_

 _Instead of the demon touching her with his left palm as expected, he reached out his right hand, placing it on her arm for about 5 seconds before removing it. Then her calf, then her hip; before finally switching to his left, placing it against the side of her neck. Her body convulsed, screaming out in pain, her Spirit Energy lashing out from her body in an attempt to shield itself; but he had already removed his hand._

 _Again a series of harmless contact before he raised his left hand to her ribcage, her Spirit Energy desperately attempting to protect her. This pattern continued on around 7 or 8 times before she began to lash out at even the right handed touch. Kurama's eyes widened in sudden realization, "They are teaching them to mistrust touch."_

* * *

By the time Kira reached the apartment, Hiei was already there leaning silently against the balcony railing, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. ' _Great'_ , more excuses for the fire demon to get under her skin. She walked by him silently, reaching for the doorknob, "I wouldn't open that," Hiei spoke cryptically without moving.

Kira rolled her eyes, turning back to glare at him, "And why would I not want to open the door?" She humored him momentarily.

"I warned you," Was all Hiei responded, ' _Turn off the video, fox_ ,' He tried calling out to Kurama, but it was too late; she was already opening the door and entering the apartment.

* * *

" _Subject 43 has passed all Conditioning, Simulations, and Testings. It has exhibited a profound ability to learn and adapt accordingly, turning attacks and injures on itself into attacks on its opponents. It shows a lack of emotional involvement during battle and is showing early signs of an Alpha-positioning towards subjects 44 through 92…. I think we've done it," The video-man laughed a release of intense relief, "We've finally done it…"_

' _Turn off the video, fox,'_ Kurama heard the familiar voice in his head, but the door was already opening and in walked Kirazuki, followed closely by Hiei, who cast him quite the awful glare.

"You're bleeding!" Shouted Botan, rising from next to Yusuke as she saw Kira. The video had changed her entire outlook on the young demoness, she wanted to reach out and embrace her; comfort her for what she viewed as the wrongdoings of the Reikai.

Kira looked down at herself quizzically before noticing the blood-smears on her thigh, "Oh, no, that's Hiei's," She laughed casually, waving her hand in dismiss, "What are you watch-" She paused as she observed herself on the television screen, battling a large demonic beast. Hiei watched her intently, trying to feel out her reaction. It was one of her simulations, Kira remembered it incredibly well, "That was a good fight," She nodded in approval; this was not the reaction those who had been watching the invasive video would have imagined.

"Oh Kirazuki, I'm so sorry," Botan stood, apologizing feverishly, "I did a little digging and found this videotape in your file - I didn't know-"

"Kira. Why are you apologizing?" She was entirely clueless.

"The way they've treated you!" Botan countered in surprise.

Kira tipped her head to the side, her ears giving a small twitch, "I don't know what you mean.."

It dawned on Botan then that this was… _Normal_ for the Reikai's 'subjects'. They didn't understand they had been tormented, and tortured that this wasn't okay; that it wasn't how any type of being should be raised. It completely broke her heart.

Hiei, on the other hand, was being brought up to speed on the tape via Kurama's thoughts. He hadn't previously 'liked' the Reikai, but now he detested them. Hypocrites. Playing around with lives and souls like they were science experiments when they preached of fair dealings in life and death.

Yusuke stood, looking uncharacteristically serious, casting a look towards Botan out of the corner of his dark eyes, "I think we need to have a little chat with Koenma."


	6. Chapter 6: The Curse of Creation

**Hello hello!**

 **I wasn't kidding when I said I got a ton of writing done during the 'down time' :P**

 **Without further ado, here is Chapter 6!**

 **-B.J.**

 **Updated (11/13/15)**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Curse of Creation.**

It had been days since they had watched the videotape, and Kirazuki still didn't understand why the others had insisted on speaking with Koenma, she absolutely refused to push the issue. They all tiptoed around her as if they were walking on broken glass, and Kira hated that. If the Reikai hadn't done these things, trained her so well, she wouldn't be this powerful; that was her purpose, that was the entire reason she existed. Koenma had no knowledge of what they wanted to discuss; but today he would finally find out, and in 2 more days they would be making the journey to Genkai's. Kira was very eager to meet the old psychic.

She was currently sitting in her human form on the balcony with Keiko, whom she had grown quite a liking to in the last few days, she was the only one who hadn't tiptoed around her (except Hiei, but he still drove her insane ), talking about normal human things, "What do they teach you in these schools?"

Keiko couldn't help but laugh, she found it adorable when demons tried to understand her life, "They don't have schools where you're from?" She blinked a few times in confusion before answering, "All sorts of things. We learn about world history, science, mathematics… We have gym where we play sports."

Hiei sat in a nearby tree smirking to himself, amused by the creatures interest in simple human life. They had far more exciting things in the Makai she would learn soon.

"Is that how you met Yusuke?" Kira asked mindlessly, watching a car drive by; cars were especially interesting to her, but she supposed humans needed them since they moved so slowly.

Keiko smiled, and Kira admired the affection she showed at just the sound of Yusuke's name. The humans were making her soft. "We've known each other since we were both kids.. We've always just sort of worked, in some strange way.. Do you have anyone back where you're from?"

Kira shook her head slowly, "I don't-"

Botan burst onto the balcony in a very Botan-like fashion, bubbly as ever, "We're all ready to go. Kira are you sure you don't want to come?" Kira exhaled deeply and shook her head; no, absolutely not. What was the purpose? It would change nothing.

"I guess I should get going then," Keiko smiled kindly; they had told her they were going to a meeting for Yusuke's 'after school Detective internship'; although that was another thing she didn't quite believe, she didn't press the issue. She quickly bid her farewells before leaving. The second she was out the door, Kira abandoned her human form.

Botan cast one final glance towards Kira before she and the rest of the group embarked, "Well, if you're sure... We should be back in a few hours, will you be alright? Hiei doesn't wish to come either so he'll be here in case you need anything.. Perhaps."

Kira couldn't help but chuckle; it was true, really, "I'll be fine,"

In all reality, it took about 7 minutes for her to grow bored beyond belief. Kira wandered out onto the balcony again, "Hiei," She called, knowing the fire demon was somewhere nearby, probably in a tree.

"What?" He questioned in annoyance from behind her.

Kira spun around and grinned mischievously, "Wanna fight?"

* * *

They had decided on hand-to-hand combat and found their way back to the large field they regularly trained in. Hiei had realized she'd fit quite well into the Makai with her inability to simply relax and enjoy peace; she seemed to **need** to fight, even if it was just a friendly spar. He still detested the abomination. To the normal eye, their fight would look like nothing more than a flurry of blurs, but in reality it was an incredibly heated spar. Hiei would throw a punch, Kira would catch it and try retreating to another angle, Hiei would kick and Kira would flip him.

"Tired so soon?" Hiei mocked, noticing her start to breathe heavily and aiming a kick at her head.

Kira laughed as she caught his leg in her arm and twisted, sending him flying backwards, "I could do this all day," She launched forward at him, finally landing a kick to his ribs.

Hiei closed his arm against his side, holding her leg firmly as he flew back, sending her with him, "To think this is the best the Reikai could do," He taunted, before Kira brought her other leg up, kicking the side of his head.

"Good enough to get you," She launched forward towards him, throwing a punch at his chest which he caught in his hand, squeezing it tight and swinging his other fist around into her stomach.

"Not quite, mutt."

Kira flew back; hitting the back of her head on the hard bark of a tree with a sickening crack. Hiei noticed a glint in her eye, her ears folding back; and it was suddenly as if a switch had been flipped.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Yusuke yelled, lunging across Koenma's desk and grabbing him by the collar.

"YUSUKE! What are talking about!?" Koenma flailed desperately trying to escape his grasp.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

"Yusuke!" Botan shouted, trying to pry the Spirit Detective off of the small Reikai ruler.

* * *

Block, block, block, dodge.

Hiei was officially on the defensive; but something wasn't right, it was like she had suddenly gone from friendly-harmless-spar to out-for-blood. When she shot a dagger of ice at him, he knew for sure - daggers of ice didn't equate to hand-to-hand combat. "Mutt!" He scolded in a failed attempt to snap her out of it. She was definitely gaining ground, pushing him back with every blow, she didn't even taunt him with playful witty banter.

* * *

"We needed them!" Koenma shouted defensively, the room now calm as Kuwabara, Kurama, Yusuke, and Botan sat in chairs around his office, "We suspected certain portions of the Makai had been preparing to rebel, we needed a strong defensive line."

"You tortured them!" Botan blurted out in a waveringly, her fists clenching in her lap.

"Nothing they faced here is anything they wouldn't have faced in the Makai…"

"Oh, they would've been strapped down and burned? Strapped down and electrocuted when they were still kids!?" Yusuke spat in reply.

* * *

Hiei waited, patiently blocking and dodging, until he had an opportunity. Sure, he could have just tried to kill the mutt, but Koenma, he thought, would be very displeased with his little toys death.

Finally she swung her arm down just right, and he delivered a swift kick of his calf to her stomach, launching her back into a tree and flickering after her. Before she had the opportunity to attack again he grabbed both of her wrists and shoved them back next to her hips, digging his fingers into the tree behind her to ensure she wouldn't escape. She made a feeble attempt to kick at him, but he quickly pressed his knees into the pressure points on her thighs, "Kira!" His blood was boiling with anger.

* * *

Koenma sighed heavily, knowing they wouldn't see his point of view; their human lives prevented them from seeing the bigger picture, that these things were necessary in the long run, "What's done is done… Kirazuki-"

"Kira." Everyone in the room blurted out simultaneously. Kurama couldn't help but chuckle.

"...Yes, _Kira_ , has already arranged that, should this mission be successful, we will cease all workings and begin implementing the use of the creatures."

Botan gritted her teeth, 'the creatures'... It was very rare the grim reaper was angry, and this was one of those infrequent times, "They aren't just _creatures…_ Kira is a real soul, a real person,"

* * *

Her thighs stung. Her wrists _burned_.

Her ears fell and golden eyes widened in realization, fear racing through them, "I'm sorry," She blurted all too quickly, every single tensed muscle suddenly relaxing. Had Hiei not been firmly holding her in place, she certainly would've collapsed onto the ground. She knew she messed up, badly.

" _What_ \- **was** \- that?" Hiei spat between firmly clenched teeth. Oh yes, Hiei was beyond mad.

Kira winced, mentally retreating from the conversation. Maybe she did need to be locked away within the Reikai after all. What if it had been, say, Kuwabara this had happened to? What if Botan or Keiko had been present..? "I don't know.. It just… Happens sometimes.. When my body thinks it's in danger…" Hiei relaxed his grip slightly, he could feel the tender flesh of her wrists starting to swell; her body temperature was too low in comparison to his. He recalled the Conditioning Sequences, where her Spirit Energy had taken control and defended her body without her own effort, "You can let go.." She muttered, glaring at the ground.

But he didn't. He seemed to be searching intensely for some sign of something; perhaps to ensure she wasn't really going to kill him. Kira continued stared at the ground, unable to meet the crimson eyed stare and becoming more conscious and uncomfortable with the heat emanating from only a few inches away; she just wanted to escape.

This was part of the curse of being created to kill; you couldn't ever escape it.


	7. Chapter 7: 2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back

**Hello again!**

 **My little lady started her FIRST DAY of PRE-K yesterday (tear!) and I am suddenly left with an abundance of time..for writing ;P**

 **So! Here is Chapter 7!**

 **-B.J.**

 **(Updated: 11/13/15)**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: 2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back.**

By the time the group had made it back from the Reikai, Hiei and Kirazuki were no where to be seen within the apartment, but Keiko was already patiently waiting. "Where are they?" Botan asked softly.

Keiko shook her head slowly, "No one was here when I got here,"

Kurama on the other hand walked directly towards the back door where the balcony was, sliding the glass door open slowly and stepping out. Kira was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the corner, staring at the ground and fiddling nervously with her boot lace. He almost instantly noticed the fresh bruises and small scrapes around the entire circumference of her wrists.

Hiei stood leaning on the balcony rail not far from Kira, his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes closed, "Calm yourself, fox." He spoke, noting the sudden spike in irritation from Kurama. He opened his eyes, casting a side-ways glance towards Kira.

Keiko was now poking her head outside as well, but her eyes instead set on Kira's... Dog ears? She blinked curiously a few times, but given the serious atmosphere, said nothing.

Kira winced, her ears folding back as she sighed a long, drawn out sigh before speaking, "I tried to kill Hiei by accident."

Kurama raised a skeptical eyebrow, "By accident?"

"Sometimes.. When my body thinks I'm in danger.. It just kind of takes over," She explained shamefully, refusing to look up from the ground, "I hit my head on a tree.. And tried to kill him." If she had tried to kill her own comrade how was she supposed to be let out into the Makai? She flinched as she suddenly felt a warmth wrap around her. An intense emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint spreading through her chest. These humans were certainly changing her.

 _Keiko_.

"It's going to be okay."

* * *

"You two have some explaining to do!" Keiko shouted out at Yusuke and Botan, having them both cornered after everyone else had departed for the night.

Yusuke winced, his wide chocolate eyes pleading to Botan. How could they possibly explain why Botan's 'cousin' from a 'foreign country' was really some weird lab creation from where people's spirits go when they die.. They hadn't quite gotten around to explaining everything to Keiko yet.. Yusuke had simply promised to inform her whenever they were leaving for one of his 'after school internship missions'..

"Well.." Botan began, "It's a long story really..."

* * *

 _There she stood, covered in blood that wasn't her own, a sword of ice dripping with crimson. Kuwabara's once tidy apartment now in a state of chaos, broken glass and tables spread across the soaked complex, "Come out, come out, where ever you are…" She taunted, stepping over Yusuke's broken and bloodied body as it laid limp on the floor; walking slowly down the darkened hallway and turning swiftly into the bathroom, where the light blue shower curtain gave a small wave._

 _She ripped back the flimsy fabric to reveal a trembling Keiko, who screamed out in sheer terror. She leaned down, picking up the frail human by the soft flesh of her neck. Keiko's eyes were full of horror as Kira held the icy blade to her throat, "It's going to be okay…"_

Kira jolted awake, her golden eyes flying open, nearly knocking herself out of her tree, her heart racing as she gripped at her chest, ' _It was just a dream.. It was just a dream.._ ' She reasoned, as she tried to steady her staggered breathing.

Unbeknownst to her, Hiei sat in a tree not far from her own, having watched the nightmare as it played out; the creature was truly afraid of her own power.

* * *

The next day, training progressed as normal; although it was obvious Kira was holding herself back. Kuwabara had shown massive improvement, he was an incredibly quick learner. He could now somewhat follow her movements, blocking and dodging effectively against her. He even _would have_ landed a punch, had it not been for his Honor Code. Tomorrow they would head out to Genkai's for the last 2 weeks of their training, Kira hated to admit but she was almost giddy with childlike excitement.

Currently, Keiko, Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara were preparing to go out to dinner and a movie. Botan had already left for the Reikai to finish up with some 'official' business.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Keiko asked one last time as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror fixing her hair. She was still skeptical, and a little cautious, about all of the information Botan had told her, but she left the topic alone.

Kira sat on the edge of the bathtub, amused by the meticulous way Keiko organized something as remedial as hair, "Honestly Kurama and Kuwabara shouldn't be going either, you and Yusuke could use some time together before he leaves.."

Keiko smiled, turning to face her, "You get used to it… Are you sure? You might not get another chance to check out human movies," She laughed now.

Kira folded her ears back, "I'd have to take human form again.. I don't like that."

"If you're sure, I guess we should leave now," Keiko embraced Kira once again, who had learned this was a human form of affection which she welcomed, "I'll see you when we get back," Kira nodded, exiting the bathroom and wishing them all well before heading out to her field for some R&R.

* * *

Kirazuki sat cross legged in the middle of her field, enjoying the view of the Ningenkai night sky. It was cloudy, but the moon still periodically peeked out at her as the clouds moved by; the crickets chirping around the vast open field. She was soaking in as much as she could, having missed such beauty for the last 104 years.

"Is the Makai sky just as wondrous?" She called out, sensing what could only be the fire demon approaching nearby.

Hiei could've given a snarky response regarding how it was better than the Reikai basement, but he chose not to, "It's.. Better," He responded, nonchalantly, standing next to where she sat with his hands in his pockets.

"No human movies for you?" Kira questioned with a smirk, knowing all too well they were certainly below him; she stretched out her legs and fell back into the grass.

Hiei sat now with his knees propped up and his arms resting on them in front of him; it was almost as if he wanted to make sure he was always a step ahead of her. He smirked in return, closing his eyes and shaking his head, responding with a simple, "No."

They sat in quietude for quite some time. It wasn't an awkward quiet by any means; more of a mutual respect for silence. Although Hiei sat about 2 feet away from Kira, she could still feel the heat radiating off of him; wondering to herself what it was like to be so warm all the time.

"Do you think Yusuke and Kuwabara are ready?" She asked suddenly in a small voice, almost afraid to break it.

"Genkai will take care of them." Hiei replied as Kira's mind wandered to Keiko, how horrible it would be if something were to happen to Yusuke.. How devastated Keiko would be. "The Detective will be fine,"

"I thought I told you to stay out of my head," Kira snapped, her ears folding back in displeasure.

Hiei smirked. Goodness, did she want to hit him, "And I told you not to think so loud."

The silence ensued again, Kira trying her very hardest to 'not think so loud'.. How does one quiet their own thoughts? She shouldn't even have to, they were her thoughts! Out of the corner of her eye she saw a small glint falling into the grass, sitting up quickly to observe it. Then, something landed on her leg, freezing over instantly. Kira blinked in confusing. What was this? Another on her shoulder, then in her hair, all freezing the second they touched her. Before she knew it they were all around, " _What_ are these?" She panicked, fleeing quickly to the shelter of a nearby tree, half coated in a layer of ice. One would think that having control over ice would leave you impervious to the cold, and this would normally remain true, as long as the ice was produced by a demon, and not the Ningenkai sky.

Hiei chuckled. _Hiei_ **chuckled**. That was a new one. As he made his way over, the falling water having the complete opposite effect on the fire demon, causing him to steam instead, "It's rain, or do they not have that in the basement of Reikai?"

Kira glared at him, shivering, "It's evil."

"Ice mutts get cold?" Hiei questioned condescendingly, a smirk plastered across his face. Smug Bastard.

"When coated in ice that isn't mine…"

Hiei sighed in irritation, reaching up to unfasten his cloak, before tossing it carelessly towards Kira, "So you don't end up an ice statue on the way back,"

"How sweet," She snapped sarcastically, wrapping up in the cloak, which was still incredibly warm.

Hiei shook his head, taking a step closer to the tiny creature, "To help you defrost," Although he had meant it as a snarky remark, Kira took it upon herself to close the distance between the two, sinking her arms under his. The sudden temperature difference actually caused Hiei to shutter, goosebumps radiating down his arms. He narrowed his eyes, "I was being sardonic.." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"I don't care. I am _literally_ frozen." She responded quickly, turning her forehead onto his collar bone, "You smell nice," She grinned sheepishly in an attempt to compliment him, as if that would somehow make up for the fact she was using him for his own body heat.

"And you smell like wet dog." Hiei counter; she didn't really, but he wasn't going to let _her_ think he was too kind. He supposed it was his own fault for 'offering'.

"Then I take it ba-" Kira had started to raise her head to glare at him, but instead her nose had come in inadvertantly traced the bridge of his own, coming face to face with the fire demon. She fully expected him to retreat with a snide remark; but he didn't. Kira stood completely frozen, her stomach twisted in knot that seemed to run up her entire throat, she could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, it felt like it could've jumped out of her chest; had she not been able to feel his breath on her cheeks, she would have thought she accidently froze him. It was like the entire Ningenkai had stopped moving, paralyzed in time.

And then the rain stopped.

And they both disappeared.

* * *

Kirazuki leaned on the balcony rail, watching the cars pace by, lost in her own mind. What the _hell_ was that? Her stomach knotted up again at the thought. She had spent only a week within the Ningenkai and she was already being distracted. She had to keep herself on track, she couldn't afford to lose focus; she was here for one purpose only. She let out a deep, wavering sigh before closing her eyes; no more distractions.

Kira felt a sudden pressure on her shoulder and her instincts kicked in full swing; she grabbed whatever was on her shoulder, spinning around, pulling and twisting until she heard a definite 'pop' of dislocation. A familiar, female scream rang through the air and she instantly released, her hands beginning to tremble, "No.."

 _Keiko._

"I'm so sorry, Keiko, I'm so sorry," Kira panicked, "I didn't..." She looked up to see Yusuke, standing in the doorway. He looked confused, shocked… Angry even. Her heart was in her throat, she felt as if she couldn't breath; she needed to get out, she needed to disappear..

And she did.


	8. Chapter 8: What Happens in the Dome

**B.J. again!**

 **Hope y'all are enjoying! We crested 100 views earlier today! :)**

 **I would LOVE to hear back from you guys! Feel free to send me a PM anytime! I would really love to talk to some of the readers! :)**

 **I've had another idea rolling around in my head for quite a few days now.. Perhaps another HieixOC, perhaps something else, I haven't decided with a direction yet but I have definitely decided on a main platform for it, keep your eyes peeled though!**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: What Happens in the Dome..**

Hiei and Kurama stood stoically on the balcony, watching the large dome-shaped blue glow pulsing in the distance, "Hn.. She's going to draw too much attention.."

Kurama nodded in solemn agreement, turning back now to re-enter the apartment; Keiko was seated on the couch with Botan, who was currently healing her shoulder; Kuwabara, once the commotion died down, had gone to bed to prepare for the morning travel to Genkai's. Yusuke sat in the chair across from the couch, tapping his foot rapidly in anger.

"It was my fault…" Keiko said quietly, wincing in pain, "I surprised her, she didn't know it was me.." Yusuke sighed, running an irritated hand through his hair, he knew she was right. He knew Kira didn't do it on purpose, he saw the look of terror on her face when she had realized what she had done. It was just how she was.. raised didn't seem like the right word to Yusuke.

"She's very distraught," Kurama spoke suddenly waving for the group to come observe as he slide open the door to the balcony, everyone filing outside behind him, "Her Spirit Energy is reacting to her distress; I would imagine she has never experienced this type of emotional response to injuring another being," He explained, glancing towards the distant dome.

"You _have_ to get her," Keiko pleaded, turning to face them, " _Please_ , you have to tell her it's okay," The feeling of guilt in her stomach was overwhelming.

"I'm not leaving," Yusuke protested, staring intently at Keiko, who turned pleadingly to Kurama and Hiei.

Hiei remained impassive, "I suppose we have no choice if she's going to continue producing a beacon to the humans…"

Kurama nodded in agreement, and they were off towards the dome.

* * *

Kurama and Hiei stood at the edge of the pulsing half-sphere, the grass, trees, bushes, the flowers, everything before them was coated in ice. Kurama put the very end of his shoe beyond the barrier; as soon as one of the pulses traveled to the edge, his shoe had frozen over completely. He cast a weary glance towards Hiei, who gritted his teeth, shoving his hands in the pockets of his cloak, "I already know, fox," He harped, before walking into the chilled dome.

"Tread carefully, Hiei," Kurama called out, "She may lash out.."

Hiei halted momentarily, closing his crimson eyes, "Don't worry about _me_."

* * *

Kirazuki's small frame sat on her knees in silence in the middle of a fairly small clearing, tinkering absently with a frozen daffodil, her ears laying lamely against the sides of her head. Everyone back in the Reikai had been depending on her; she was positive she would be sent back after this. What would happen to them? This was their test run, and she, the one who was supposed to be the best of them all, had failed at controlling herself; on a human. On Keiko no less..

"Are you quite done with your tantrum?" Hiei spoke coldly from somewhere behind her; she didn't bother to turn around, she had known he was coming.

"Leave," Kira commanded sternly, setting the daffodil down on the iced ground.

"I wouldn't be here if you weren't threatening to signal the entire Ningenkai," He didn't heed her warning, walking closer to the tiny demon.

She began to tune him out, looking up at the dome above her, she hadn't even realized there had been a dome.. "I didn't mean to.."

Hiei sighed, crouching down in front of Kira now, "She knows."

Kira turned her attention to him, her eyes were full of tears; it was very foreign to her, never in her post-training existance had she ever even felt the smallest of urges to cry, never had she felt any kind of remorse for a single action she took; her voice was only a small, painful whisper, "Is she hurt badly?"

Hiei seemed to almost soften at the sight, the dog really did have a soft spot for the human. It was… _almost_ touching, "Botan took care of it."

The barrier seemed to collapse in that exact moment, swirling dangerously back into Kira as her tears finally overflowed with relief, as if she was unable to contain them; she tried to wipe them away as quickly as possible, "Do I have to go back to Reikai now?" She sniffled, turning her head to the quickly melting ground.

Hiei smirked, realizing she had very little ability to control any of her emotions once they arose, so much so that they manifested themselves; he tucked his pointer finger under her chin and lifted her face to maintain eye contact, absentmindedly swiping away a stray tear with his thumb, "No."

Kira sniffled again, "I'm sorry," She choked, "I keep making everything a bigger hassle,"

Another smirk, "Yes, you do," He taunted, becoming increasingly aware of the close proximity; unaware of when exactly _he_ had grown not only comfortable with it, but prone to it as well.

"I can't go back to Kuwabara's," Kira's voice was full of heartache. Of course she had wanted to see Keiko before they set out, she may never have the chance to see her again, but she couldn't bring herself to face her, surely Keiko wouldn't wish to see _her_ , she was probably terrified. But at least, should she never return to the Ningenkai, whether it be death, mission failure, or just coincidence, at the very least Keiko knew she never meant to harm her.

"She _sent_ us," Hiei responded as probed the creature's thoughts. Kira was far more terrified of herself than Keiko was, probably a poor choice on the humans part.

Kira glared at him, the ground around her immediate proximity freezing over yet again, "Stay out,"

Hiei smirked again, tightening his grip on her chin, "So you can continue to wallow in your own self pity?" It was probably not the time nor place to get under her skin, but he couldn't resist, he did enjoy taunting the creature.

"Yes," Kira joked lamely with another sniffle, but she smiled this time, subconsciously shifting her head towards the warmth of his hand until her cold cheek found his palm. For once, the heat was comforting, "And thank you.." She paused, contemplating her next words carefully, "I know you didn't want to, but thank you for coming to the rescue, even if it was only because you were the only one who wouldn't freeze," She laughed, finally lifting her golden eyes from the ground.

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction, he seemed almost taken aback by this statement; a large part of him wanted to retreat for some unknown reason, but running had _never_ been his style; but instead he quickly regained his composure, "Yes, I'm just a regular knight in shining armor," Sarcasm was his go-to defense.

Kira grinned in return, "Perhaps just a black cloak.."

Hiei couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

' _I do hope I'm not disturbing anything,'_ Kurama's thoughts finally pierced his head. He clenched his teeth, shifting his eyes over Kira's shoulder. Sure enough, there stood Kurama, a horribly cocky smile plastered on his face. That damn fox. Or was he? Why was he cursing his sudden presence? No, of course Kurama wasn't disturbing anything.. Right?

Hiei shifted his crimson stare back to Kira, momentarily tightening his hand on her cheek, his thumb tracing her cheekbone, almost as if he didn't quite want to let go just yet, but he did. He rose to his feet grudgingly, extending a helping hand out to the creature without a word.

Kira stood without taking it, rolling her neck, "An eye for an eye," She said quietly, before turning to Kurama, "Has your shoe defrosted?" She joked. The dome had been.. Almost like an extension of _her_ , she knew every single detail. She had known when Kurama had placed his shoe within it, she had known when small finch had entered its boundaries from the sky, she had known when the wind from outside had blown a single leaf beyond its territory... She needed to learn how to do that on her own.

Kurama chuckled, settling his hands in his pant pockets, "Yes but I'm afraid it's uncomfortably wet,"

Hiei, at some point, had disappeared yet again. Kira didn't bother to ponder why, she already knew why. She approached Kurama, "I won't go back there... I'll stay somewhere nearby but… Please tell Keiko I hope to see her again.." She said in passing, while he turned to follow her.

Kurama nodded, "The portal will appear tomorrow in our regular training field once the sun begins to rise. It will bring us to Genkai's,"

Kira returned a nod, "I'll be there."


	9. Chapter 9: Nightmares and New Comrades

**Hello! Sorry for the delay in posting (or at least my normal posting speed ;P ) I was on a lovely fishing trip for the Holiday weekend!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Nightmares and New Comrades.**

"Hiei," Kurama called out into the forest, halting in his tracks as he closed his large emerald eyes, peacefully placing his hands in his pockets. As he suspected, Hiei was quick to appear in front of him.

"What?" Hiei replied lamely, holding a similar disposition.

"I, of all people, needn't remind you, this is not the time to become clouded," Kurama explained calmly before continuing, "We are already aware how intensely powerful these beings are. It would be… Unwise for distraction."

Hiei scoffed, closing his eyes to the demon before beginning to walk away, "I don't know what you're on about, fox."

"Do not take me for a fool, Hiei," Kurama warned, "Perhaps you've forgotten, but I _have_ known you long enough to detect a change in your behaviour,"

Hiei continued to trail away, stopping only momentarily, " _I_ don't get distracted."

* * *

Hiei sat absentmindedly in a large tree on the edge of the field they had previously used for training, silently keeping an eye over a soundly sleeping Kirazuki, who was only a few branches below him. She was far less irritating when she slept. Kurama had no idea what he was talking about; Hiei felt an...obligation to ensure the dog's well being, surely they would need her alliance when they travelled to the Makai. She was strong, and they needed that strength, he reasoned with himself.

Kira almost looked like a small child when she slept, all of her normally tense muscles relaxed; until her breathing had suddenly became labored. Hiei also sensed her once low heart rate skyrocketing. ' _Probably another foolish dream..._ ' He thought grudgingly to himself, his Jagan beginning to glow behind the thin white fabric across his forehead.

 _Kirazuki stood sternly, Tobikuma and Tatsumi on either side of her. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama stood in front of them, Kuwabara seemed badly injured, struggling to hold himself upright in the desolate Makai sand field._

" _Welcome to the dark side," Tatsumi hissed, a deviant smile on her scaley face as her hollow, black stare met Kira's large golden eyes._

 _Kira smirked, fisting her right hand as her spirit energy began to swirl around it, "Shall we teach Koenma his lesson?" She said innocently, her long ice sword forming before her, "Shall we let him know of our great displeasures in so many years of captivity?"_

 _Tobikuma laughed, outstretching his massive brown wings as the air around them began to swirl dangerously, "But of course.." The trio disappeared in a massive flurry of his wind._

 _Tobikuma appeared first, picking off Kuwabara as if he were a harmless insect, his large talons sinking into his chest as he took off with him high into the sky, his terror filled screams slowly disappearing to no more than a distant echo. Tatsumi was next, engulfing Yusuke in a brightly glowing ball of water, she squeezed her hands out in front of her as the water compressed inward, crushing Yusuke's bones one by one from the pressure with sickening cracks as he attempted to gasp for air that was only filled by a surge of liquid._

 _Kira reappeared last, sinking her blade into Kurama's abdomend, the nails of her left hand digging into the flesh around his shoulder, she cast her stare up towards his once vibrant green eyes, taking great joy in the life slowly fading out of them. She had never experienced such excitement._

Hiei sighed in exasperation, hoisting himself down onto Kira's branch; the damn dog was disturbing his peace yet again, "Mutt," He said sternly, nudging one of her crossed legs with his foot in a poor attempt to wake her. She didn't budge; even in her sleep she was a pain. Hiei gritted his teeth, crouching down in front of the small creature and cautiously placing a hand on her shoulder, noting that she was _almost_ warm for once, "Kira," He spoke again, giving her tiny frame a rough shake.

Almost instantly her small hand had somehow shot it's way to his neck, he hadn't even seen the movement; her honey eyes flying open in panic, every inch of them was covered in fear. Hiei raised his eyebrow as Kira blinked in confusion, taking in her surroundings before quickly removing her grip around his throat, "I'm sorry, I was-"

"Having another nightmare." Hiei finished her sentence with a smirk.

Kira didn't have the will to argue about the invasion, simply nodding in response. She was truly _terrified_ of herself. Kurama's eyes were still burned in her mind; surely she would never join Tobikuma and Tatsumi, her loyalty was strictly with the Spirit Detective.. "What if that really happens?" She asked, knowing all too well he had been in her head.

Hiei sat down with another sigh, his legs dangling from the branch, but the smirk still remained, "The fox won't be finished so easily," Was his only answer; although he highly doubted the creature would change her alliance.

Kira gave a small, sad laugh, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, "That's comforting I suppose," She yawned, her ears folding back as she placed her cheeks in her palms, the urge to sleep once again washing over her, "How long?" She asked as her large eyes began to slowly shut.

Hiei flicked his crimson eyes towards the sky only momentarily, "A few more hours,"

"Good," Kira muttered, inching forward slightly on the branch, Hiei glanced towards her cautiously, noticing the movement, "Thank you," She smiled, leaning her forehead against his jaw; he instantly tensed from the contact, "Yet again," She laughed; Hiei involuntarily shuddered as the cold air washed over his skin. She was slowly getting familiar with the warmth the fire demon constantly radiated, it was almost comforting at this point.

Although Hiei would normally protest, she was already drifting off into peaceful sleep, "Hn," Was his only response as he relaxed under the cold touch against his neck.

' _Perhaps just a black cloak...'_

* * *

"YUKINA, MY LOVE!" Kuwabara shouted out excitedly, Kira winced in pain, her ears folding back against her head.

As Yusuke suspected, they had met with Genkai as soon as they had stepped through the portal, Kira had regarded it as quite the honor, while Yusuke had simply mumbled something about her age. They had just entered Genkai's temple, it was an amazing place, secluded within an expansive forest in the Ningenkai; although Kira found it quite curious the elderly woman didn't grow bored within it's walls. She could already sense Genkai was powerful beyond any normal humans wildest dreams.

Upon entrance, a beautiful young demoness with long, coarse mint hair had greeted them; Kira assumed this was Yukina, whom Kuwabara was currently gushing over, "And who's this?" Yukina asked kindly, casting her crimson eyes in Kira's direction.

' _She has the same eyes as the fire demon_. _What irony_.' Kira thought amusedly to herself, stepping forward, "Kirazuki, just Kira," She bowed her head in respect.

Yukina, instead, took it upon herself to embrace the creature, causing Kira to tense against her will, although it went unnoticed Hiei flinched as well, "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard much about you from Genkai," She laughed lightheartedly. She seemed so.. nice. It was refreshing. Kira cast a cautious glance towards Genkai, whom she had never met before today, but she simply sent her an all-knowing smile.

"Kirazuki," Another voice greeted; Kira recognized it instantly, her eye twitching in annoyance, "It's nice to see _you_ again,"

There she stood, leaning against a door frame, a weary smile plastered on her gorgeous face, her bright crystal-like blue eyes shined in the poorly-lit temple. Her elegantly long waving white-blue hair tucked over her shoulder, while her long slender legs were crossed out in front of her, she had no animalistic characteristics like the rest of the creatures, although she was clearly familiar with them; or at least with Kirazuki.

Kurama chuckled, sensing the sudden irritation from Kira, these two were clearly not on the best of terms, "Care to introduce us to your.. _friend_?"

Kira narrowed her eyes, her jaw tensing; it was as if her entire demeanor had shifted. Her shoulders had squared, and her eyes no longer held a joyous look to them, but a stern strength; the temperature within the complex temple walls had dropped considerably. "Kanami," She regarded coldly, her muscular body turning in her direction, "Yes, how lovely to see you among the Ningenkai. I was unaware you would be assisting us, I would have presumed if anyone was sent it would have been Ryuu." Honestly, Koenma couldn't at least send someone she liked, if not more powerful? If Kirazuki was the equivalent of an alpha within the creatures, Taryuu would have been her beta.

Hiei had instantly picked up on this sudden personality change; fascinated that the crying mess he had seen just yesterday was standing in front of him as a presumed leader, ' _That woman is one of her underlings,_ ' He realized; she was no longer around equals, but those she had a certain dominance over.

Kanami smiled shyly, "Lord Koenma thought _you_ could use _my_ talent, and that Genkai could help to foster it," She paused momentarily, a blush flickering across her cheeks, "Taryuu sends his regards, he had wanted to join us but.. Lord Koenma thought it unwise."

' _Of course_..' Kira thought to herself, her fist inadvertently clenching, ' _He still doesn't trust us_..'

Yusuke finally chipped in from where he stood next to Kurama, "Alright, alright, enough with the introductions already. When do we start training to kick these things asses?"


	10. Chapter 10: Venomous

**Hello! Alright, I had mentioned a few chapters ago I had another fanfic idea swimming around in my head; today it just spun out to life!**

 **So either today or tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled for "A Light in the Dark"!**

 **But for now! Here is chapter 10! It's a tid-bit on the short side but, enjoy!**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Venomous.**

"They are coming for u _sss_ , Brother," A woman hissed from the dark shadows of a massive, cavernous cave.

There was a deep, haunting chuckle from the darkness, "Shall we send them a message?"

The lightning outside flashed dangerously with an eruptive boom of thunder, the sound of the rain was so loud it resembled a freight train. The woman spoke again in her lisped voice, "But of cour _sss_ e, Brother," There was a commotion in the shadows, followed by the ominous glow of an uncountable amount of green eyes, "Plea _sss_ e my children, teach them a le _ssss_ on,"

The groans from the demon hoard that filled the dark void were deafening.

* * *

"TRY HARDER DIMWIT!" Genkai yelled towards Yusuke, who was steadily being pushed back further and further as he blocked each of Kirazuki's blows. They were currently in the dojo section of her temple on their first day of training.

"I AM TRYING YOU HAG!" Yusuke shouted back as he took the opportunity of Kira landing to charge his Spirit Gun. Kira smiled sadly, she was too fast to be hit by his Spirit Gun, Yusuke should know that by now, "SPIRIT GUN!" Kira did a backflip straight over it; but something wasn't right. Yusuke was smirking.

' _Damnit_!' She scolded herself mentally, realizing it was coming back up from behind after bouncing off of a small patch of ice, she pushed herself farther up, but it still clipped her right calf.

"He actually hit her!" Kuwabara screamed in shock from the sidelines.

Yusuke brought the tip of his finger up to his mouth, giving it a cocky blow, "Bang,"

Kira smiled again, standing up, "Inventive, I'll have to remember to lay ice plates out for you in the middle of battle," Her voice was dripping with sweet sarcasm. Genkai couldn't help but smile.

Yusuke gritted his teeth, "Yeah and when have you hit me so far!?"

Big mistake. Hiei smirked as Kira disappeared before Yusuke launched across the floor, the right side of his face swelling quickly from the sharp kick. "Bang," Kira grinned.

Genkai chuckled, waving her hands, "Kanami!" The small creature seated next to Kuwabara jumped, "I want to see where your abilities are." Kanami nodded nervously, scrambling to her feet and scurrying towards the middle of the room where Kira waited; Kanami assumed a position Kira didn't recognize and began muttering, while Kira pushed her hand out in front of her, freezing over the floor in one sweep.

A glowing blue dome appeared around Kanami as she continued her chant, Kira couldn't resist her curiosity, approaching it and reaching her hand out as sparks danced across her arm when it came in contact with the half-sphere, ' _A barrier_.' She thought to herself, similar to the one she had produced by accident. She would need to figure out how to do this on her own.

Kanami had stopped chanting, her hands joined together in front of her chest, "I can only hold this for 90 seconds right now," She spoke to Genkai cautiously.

' _Hold what?_ ' Kira wondered, but when she tried to tilt her head to the side, she realized she couldn't move a single muscle in her neck, trunk, arms or legs. Tricky girl. "This is great to give others an opportunity to attack physically, but.." Kanami squealed in panic as the cold began to wrap it's way up her both of her legs, "It will do nothing for Spirit Energy,"

"How'd she do that if she can't even move?!" Kuwabara screamed.

Kurama chuckled lightly with a smile, "Because she froze over the floor before they began, it became an extension of her own field of attack," He explained light-heartedly to Kuwabara. These beings were certainly fascinating to him.

Genkai nodded, pleased with the outcome, "I can work with this," She smiled kindly, while Yusuke grudgingly wondered why the old woman was so nice to these two.

Kanami's barrier dropped suddenly, her crystal eyes opening in shock, "Something is here,"

* * *

There had to be at least two hundred reptilian-like demons standing before them as they exited the temple walls, their long green tails flicking from side to side as they all chanted, " _Massster'sss warning you, Massster'sss warning you,"_ over and over in unison.

"HERE'S OUR WARNING FOR YOUR STINKIN' MASTER!" Yusuke yelled, firing off a Spirit Gun into the crowd.

"They're possessed, moron," Genkai spoke calmly as she closed her eyes, "They'll keep coming until they're dead.

"Hn, low-class distractions," Hiei said from beside Kira, who looked far too happy given they were surrounded by a hoard of demons.

"What are we waiting for!" Kira shouted, disappearing in a flicker.

Hiei smirked and shook his head, ' _Foolish mutt_ ,' Before disappearing as well.

"SPIRIT SWORD!" Kuwabara shouted, before letting out a war cry and charging into the crowd.

Kira had the biggest smile on her face as she raised her hands above her head, 7 human-sized spikes of ice shooting up out of the ground and impaling several of the intruders.

Yusuke stuck to hand-to-hand combat, easily pummeling the weak demons; while Kurama used his signature Rose Whip, cutting through their bodies like it was nothing.

Kanami cried out as one of the putrid demons wrapped his long tail around her body, but Hiei appeared for only a second, cleanly slicing off the lizard's head, ' _Useless_..'

Kira laughed happily as her hands began to glow, placing them in front of her before sweeping them in an outwards direction, a massive boomerang shaped blade of ice jettisoned into a cluster of the invaders, their heads separating from the bulk of their bodies. One particular head rolled it's way foot, "Ew." She winced, but as she prepared to take a step back, the disembodied head latched onto her foot, sinking it's sharp fangs into her skin.

Hiei appeared, quickly crushing the head with his foot and smirking, "Not fast enough?" He questioned mockingly.

Kira meant to reply with some snide comment but a searing, burning pain erupted up her leg, causing her to cry out in pain. She looked down at her foot and could see the veins turning black, spider-webbing their way up her pale skin. She couldn't control her suddenly rapid heartbeat, her breath felt like it was caught in her chest. This wasn't right.

Kurama's eyes widened in terrified realization, "They're venomous!" He shouted in warning to the others before trying to make his way towards the wolf demoness.

Kira fell clumsily, grabbing her foot where the lizard had bit her, her vision was starting to cloud over rapidly. ' _Fuck, no!_ '

Hiei's jaw clenched as he scooped up the tiny creature, instantly noticing she was far too warm; her nails tore small holes in his cloak, leaving small scrapes on his chest as her fists clenched at his chest, another horrifying scream pushing out of her lungs, "Fox!" He called, completely clueless about what to do.

"Bring her inside!" Kurama commanded, slicing his way through another small section of the hoard.

Hiei disappeared, quickly entering the front of the temple, crouching down and attempting to set her down on the floor, "No," Kira said between wavering gasps, wrapping her shaking arms around the fire demon's neck so he couldn't let go. It would be a lie to say she wasn't terrified. If she was going to die, she at least didn't want it to be completely alone on a floor.

"You aren't going to die," He said sternly as he probed her thoughts, although there was a strange panic steadily rising in his chest. Hiei pulled her back enough to see her frightened honey eyes, "Stay awake," He commanded, very unsurely placing a hand on her now-warm cheek.

But she couldn't.

The dark clouds in her vision had taken over.


	11. Chapter 11: Enter the Dragon: Taryuu

**Chapter 11: Enter the Dragon: Taryuu.**

Kanami wrung her hands nervously, opening the large steel door in front of her.

A massively muscular man sat crouched over in the room next to one of the coffin-looking simulation devices, wiping sweat from his curled black hair with a tattered white shirt. His large, blue, dragon-like ears gave a twitch from the sides of his head upon hearing the door. He looked up with deep ocean-blue eyes and smiled kindly, revealing a row of pointed, sharp teeth, "Back so soon?" His voice rumbled around the room, his long reptilian like tail giving a small wave.

Kanami's anxiety was through the roof; but she concealed it well, bowing her head respectfully, "Taryuu, sir.. There's been an accident.."

Taryuu's smile dropped into a deep frown as he rose heavily from where he was seated, "What kind of _accident_?"

* * *

"Will she be alright?" Keiko looked towards Kurama with tear-filled eyes, squeezing Kirazuki's limp hand in her own. Kira lay still in one of the many beds within Genkai's temple. Next to her bed was a large, grotesque looking pulsating plant, one very large vined thorn was stuck into her chest directly below her collarbone, while another was dug into her calf. This large plant helped to filter the remaining venom from her blood stream. Keiko had demanded she come as soon as Yusuke told her what had happened, "I didn't even get to say goodbye before she left…"

Kurama sighed; to be frank, he didn't have an answer. "At this point, we will have to wait and see. She did sustain a fairly excessive amount of muscle damage in her leg, with additional tissue damage around her foot. The venom caused her body temperature to rise very rapidly, while this may have aided in burning off some of the venom, she is naturally a cold temperatured being. We won't know the extent of this damage unless.. until she awakes."

Yusuke squeezed Keiko's shoulder reassuringly, "Hey, she'll be fine.." He tried to comfort, "She's way stronger than your average demon,"

Hiei sat on the windowsill, staring out into the night sky as the moon peeked itself over the tree line; growing irritable of Yusuke's optimism. Perhaps he could have crushed the reptile's head earlier, stopped some of the venom from entering; perhaps if Kurama had arrived just a few minutes earlier, she'd already be awake. He did know one thing for certain, if the fox's outlook was 'wait and see', it was entirely pointless to cling to hope. Even if she did wake, she would have extensive damage to her leg at the very least, perhaps even reduced brain function, her body wasn't _meant_ to be as warm as it had been, at least not so quickly. The only solace was in the fact that she was still dreaming, or playing memories in her head; as Hiei's Jagan subtly glowed beneath the thin white fabric across his forehead.

* * *

" ' _Yuu!" A pint-sized Kirazuki screamed happily, bouncing towards another small demonic child. He had short, curly black hair and large, dragon-like ears protruding from the sides of his head. A large blue tail jutted out from behind him; his pale cheeks turned instantly red, "Wanna go have fun?" She grinned mischievously, they were currently in the 'playroom' of the Reikai's compound, with bright yellow and red walls, colorful playmats and dozens of other children running about yelling._

 _Taryuu grinned in return, "Okay!" He whispered back as Kira reached out and grabbed his hand._

 _The only supervisors in the room were currently occupied breaking up a fight between a wind demon and an earth demon, removing rubble from both of their hair and cleaning small scrapes along their faces._

 _Kira and Ryuu crept quietly to the door, opening it only enough to squeeze their small bodies through, before taking off at a run down the hallway before them, laughing the entire way._

* * *

Koenma glanced nervously about his office, looking for some excuse, any excuse to not comply with these demands, "We can't just start letting you all roam about the Nin-"

A huge fist slammed itself on his desk, cracking the top to it, "I don't care! You either let me out, or I'll force my way out. You pick." Taryuu's voice echoed through the room, causing Koenma to jump and cry out in panic.

Once again, he was backed into a corner by his own creations. He sighed in defeat, "I shall arrange a portal…"

* * *

 _A teenaged Kirazuki laughed joyously, flipping herself backwards, landing with her hands out in front of her as pushed them forward, her Spirit Energy dancing around her magically, "Nice try!" She yelled out, as the massive wall of water in front of her froze over completely._

 _A tall, lanky Taryuu narrowed his eyes in her direction, "Damnit…" He muttered in defeat, hanging his head as his attack was halted in it's tracks._

 _Kira kindly smiled in return, "Perhaps some day,"_

 _A loud, deep tone emitted around the cold metal room. Training was done for the day._

* * *

Yusuke and Kuwabara glanced at each other cautiously, both hearing the loud booming knock at the temple door, "Wonder who that could be.." Kuwabara muttered as Yusuke stood from beside Keiko, making his way down the long hallway to the front temple entrance.

Upon opening the door, Kanami stood behind a massive wall of a man, fiddling nervously with her shirt. Yusuke blinked in confusion, "Hi?" He questioned.

Taryuu ducked as he entered the temple, extending his hand out to Yusuke, "You must be the Spirit Detective," Yusuke took it wearily with a firm shake, "My name is Taryuu. I've come from Reikai.. Kira is one of my comrades," He explained nervously.

Yusuke nodded in understanding, "Follow me big guy,"

* * *

 _Kirazuki waved her hand above her in the giant dark room, creating a small light out of her spirit energy. She rolled to her side on the small green cot, covered only by a thin dark green blanket, "You awake?" She whispered towards the cot next to her._

 _Taryuu turned grudgingly to face her, squinting his eyes against the sudden light, "I am now, lady.." He whispered back._

 _Kira smiled apologetically, before gazing back at her little light, "Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" She asked somberly; it was her greatest dream to see the world outside of the Reikai's walls._

 _Taryuu smiled fondly in return, "One day we will be able to live for our purpose." He held a certain admiration for her dreams, her remarkable ability to cling to hope for almost 90 years, so far._

 _Kira closed her hand and the small light disappeared, her eyes slowly drifting shut as sleep overcame her; a tiny hopeful smile on her face._

* * *

Taryuu smiled sadly, watching Kira's unconscious body as Kurama brought him up to speed on what had happened, what was going on, and what they could expect. She looked so child-like in her sleep, "Can she hear?" He asked out of the blue.

Kurama hadn't a clue, but Hiei answered, finally speaking up for the first time from his windowsill, "No." Was his only reply.

Taryuu sighed, reaching a large hand over and fiddling with one of Kira's ears. "May I have a minute?"

Kurama nodded, standing up and looking wearily towards the fire demon, "Hiei.." He cautioned, but he didn't budge.

Taryuu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "Listen, I know-"

"It doesn't matter what you have to say," Hiei finally looked away from the window, still not moving to get up, his Jagan was still steadily glowing. You could cut the tension the tension in the room with a knife.

Taryuu's anger soared; that was the thing about dragon demons, they may be calm most of the time, but once something set off their temper, the fire was uncontrollable; he took a few heavy steps towards Hiei, "Do you have a prob-" He was cut short by a small, almost insignificant amount of irritation in his left shoulder blade, "What…" He stuttered, unable to see.

Kurama walked over and couldn't hide the smile on his face as he removed a very small, dime sized shard of ice from his back, holding it gingerly in his hand, he chuckled, "I would say that's a good sign."

* * *

 _Kira turned her forehead into Hiei's collarbone, "You smell nice," She grinned sheepishly in an attempt to compliment him, as if that would somehow make up for the fact she was using him for his own body heat._

" _And you smell like wet dog," Hiei countered; she didn't really, but he wasn't going to let her think he was being too kind. He supposed it was his own fault for 'offering'._

" _Then I take it ba-" Kira had started to raise her head to glare at him, but instead her nose had inadvertently traced the bridge of his own, coming face to face with the fire demon. She fully expected him to retreat with a snide comment; but he didn't. Kira stood completely frozen, her stomach twisted in a knot that seemed to run up her entire throat, she could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, it felt like it could've jumped out of her chest; had she not been able to feel his his breath on her cheeks, she would've thought she accidently froze him._

 _It was like the entire Ningenkai had stopped moving, paralyzed in time._


	12. Chapter 12: Awakening

**Alright my dears.. I have some bad news bears. If I disappear for a few days, it's because my laptop has finally crapped out and I'm waiting for my new one :P I am operating with a half blank screen right now, but I PROMISE I will return! Pinky swear :P I've gotten far too emotionally attached to Kira to just let her go :P If anyone has checked out "A Light in the Dark", I'm just going to let that story be until my new laptop comes in, so it could be a few weeks until I update that one!**

 **But for now, here is an extra long Chapter 12 of "Lone Wolf".**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Awakening**

K _irazuki subconsciously shifted her head towards the warmth of Hiei's hand, his palm finding it's way to to her cold cheek, the warmth comforting, "And thank you…" She paused, "I know you didn't want to, but thank you for coming to the rescue, even if it was only because you were the only one who wouldn't freeze," She laughed, looking up with her golden eyes._

 _Hiei's eyes widened a fraction, quite taken aback by the statement; a large part of him wanted to retreat, he was far out of his comfort zone, "Yes, I'm just a regular knight in shining armor," He smirked sarcastically._

 _Kira grinned up at him, "Perhaps just a black cloak,"_

 _His smirk only grew as he brushed away a stray tear with his thumb, the mutt was growing on him. His thumb managed to find it's way to her bottom lip, slowly tracing its prominent outline almost painfully slow before lowering his head and.._

Hiei jolted awake with a start, he was certainly not used to the unfamiliar sensation of dreaming. That wasn't even what had actually happened.. The damn dog was messing with his head even when she wasn't conscious to enjoy it. He peered around the darkened room to find Kurama removing one of the large thorns, the one directly below Kira's collar bone.

"I didn't wish to wake you," Kurama smiled kindly, "The venom should be completely filtered through by now, we need only wait for the plant to pump the remaining blood back through," He explained, taping a large strip of gauze the puncture hole. "You know Hiei," Kurama added with a smile as he took a seat on one of the many chairs in the room, "There is no shame in caring."

Hiei didn't even look away from the window, "I didn't ask." He replied stoically.

Kurama chuckled, "Yes, but I know how you are,"

"Once again you have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

"You guys are good," Taryuu panted, seating his massive body on the floor of the dojo where he had just finished a training session with Yusuke and Kuwabara.

Yusuke grinned in response, doubling over and putting his hands on his knees as the sweat dripped off his forehead and from his limp black hair. He had really taken a liking to Ryuu. "You think we're ready for these punks?"

"Those grunts, Tobikuma and Tatsumi, they don't have anything on Kira and I. It'll be a piece of cake," He grinned back, giving a weak thumbs up. There was a reason he and Kira were in charge of the entire 'pack' of creatures.

Kuwabara was laying on the floor in a puddle of his own sweat, his chest rising and falling rapidly, "I think I'm dying," He muttered, before magically springing back to life with a massive smile on his face, "My Yukina must heal me!" He barged out of the temple in search of the unsuspecting ice maiden.

Yusuke laughed at his antics, but his expression darkened once Kuwabara had left, "You think she'll pull through?"

Ryuu stared at the ground for a moment in ponder before nodding, "She'll be alright… I've never known her to not," He chuckled deeply.

Yusuke smiled in relief, "Keiko… She's really close to Kira.. I think she'd lose her shit if anything happened to her.. They didn't really get to leave on the best of terms," He explained, recalling how Kira had.. well, basically almost broken Keiko's arm.

Taryuu nodded, "She's a hell of a fighter, no little low class lizard is going to take her out."

"So.. You and Kira.." Yusuke grinned, his curiosity getting the best of him, "You guys a thing?"

Ryuu's eruptive laughter filled the large training space, "We're all like family up there.. All 49 of us. . She's like my sister.. Kinda.. I mean maybe back in the day when I was what you humans would consider a teenager." He began to watch Genkai and Kanami training on the other side of the large room, both of their spirit energy blooming around them; her skills were improving as well. "Demon hormones and what not," He grinned with a chuckle.

Yusuke nodded, "I get that." He straightened his back, stretching his arms above his head and wiggling his fingers, giving and little laugh, "We should probably go rescue poor Yukina,"

* * *

Kurama placed a cautious hand above the large plant before exhaling and moving towards the thorn at Kira's calf, running a cautious hand over the area, "The awakening could be instant, or it may be several days until the plants effects wear off," He explained to Taryuu and Kanami. Hiei had finally decided to go out for some fresh air for the first time during the 4 day ordeal, Kurama suspected it was likely his poorly attempted topic of conversation earlier. Hiei wasn't exactly the 'lets talk about how we all _feel'_ type of demon by any means.

"But she might not be all there, right?" Taryuu asked cautiously, giving Kira's limp hand a tight squeeze. They had known each other for **104** years, the thought of the closest thing he had to family being gone was unsettling.

Kurama nodded slowly, they did have to prepare for that possibility. Kanami placed a small, gentle hand on his shoulder, "She will be fine." She tried to reassure with a little smile.

Ryuu chuckled, clapping his large hands down on his knees, "I'd be surprised if she didn't come out swingin',"

The room was silent, breathless as Kurama removed the second large thorn painstakingly slow, keeping pressure on the circular wound before placing another large strip of gauze over it, taping it down firmly to her flesh.. They waited in complete quietude, anticipating something, _anything_ to happen; seconds dragged into minutes, and still they received nothing. "As I said, it could take several days for the plants effects to wear off.."

* * *

Hiei slept silently at his windowsill, the side of his head resting against the glass while Kurama occupied himself reading a book about various Ningenkai plant life. He yawned, looking up towards the wall clock on the opposite wall: 2:39 AM. He sighed, it was definitely time to rest. He cast his emerald eyes up towards Kira one last time for the night, but what he saw nearly gave him a heart attack, causing him to stand quickly from his chair, rushing to the side of the small bed.

Kirazuki was seated straight up, stone still, staring off into nothingness. It almost made his skin crawl, "Kira?" He whispered cautiously, seating himself on the edge of the bed, silently hoping she didn't suddenly lash out. She didn't even move. He carefully placed a hand on her cheek and began to turn her head, "Kira." He repeated more firmly, her eyes widening and snapping to his, they were full of confusion and fear; he also took note that her right eye, the same side she had sustained the damage on, was significantly darker than the left, taking on a more brown hue. He would need to look at it more closely after.

Kira began to shake, bringing her trembling hands up to his cheeks, she had definitely returned to her normal cold body temperature, it almost felt like someone had placed ice cubes on his face, "Am I alive?" She whispered hoarsely.

Kurama smiled, relieved she was talking, "Yes, and well it would seem."

Before he had the chance to say another word, she had latched herself around his neck, "I thought I died," She cried, burying her face in his chest, immensely enjoying being able to _feel_. Kurama placed an awkward arm around her, rubbing her back in comfort. It took her about 15 minutes to finally calm down, Hiei had woken at some point, silently observing from the window. "I'm sorry," She sniffled, pulling away.

Kurama chuckled, "It's quite alright," He stood now, pulling back the thin sheet that covered her; she winced when she saw her foot. It was still quite swollen, and an odd array of colors from red, black, blue and purple, "Those are merely surface wounds, but we do need to see the extent of damage done to the underlying muscle," He explained, placing his fingers on her toes, "Can you move them?"

Kira's eyes filled with tears again as she shook her head, "I can't even feel your fingers.." Kurama nodded, moving his hand up to her calf, she could just barely feel it.

"Can you bend your knee?" He asked, tucking two of his fingers underneath the crease to her knee.

"Barely.." She sniffled again, bending her knee minimally.

Kurama squeezed her leg in comfort, she almost didn't even feel it and she probably wouldn't have known if she wasn't watching him, "I believe Genkai has something that may help.. You _will_ be fine," He finished, promptly exiting the room in search of said item.

Kira sat in silence, tracing her fingers up and down her thigh; how was she to do anything if she couldn't even feel her leg? Let alone move the useless slab of meat? Perhaps she could get a new one somehow..

Hiei scoffed from the window, the first noise he had made since she awoke, "You don't need a new leg,"

Kira blinked in confusion, she hadn't even realized he was there, "When did you get here?" She asked absently, scooting herself closer to the edge of the bed. She had to use her arms to move her right leg, throwing it over the side uselessly.

Truth be told, he'd barely left; but of course he wasn't about to tell her that; instead he smirked, "About the time you began wallowing in your self pity again."

"My leg - doesn't work." She spoke through gritted teeth, glaring at the fire demon; perfectly reasonable excuse for self pity, honestly. She touched her left toes to the ground before hopping less than gracefully off of the bed.

Hiei flickered to her side in an instant, his shoulder underneath her arm, catching the light weight creature, "You fool," He spoke coldly through gritted teeth, "If you can't feel it what would make you think you could stand on it?"

Kira glared at him, "I just wanted to see.."

Kurama re-entered the room with.. What Kira thought looked, quite frankly, like a velcro-metal-robot leg; he couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before him, both little demons looked very angry, "This will support your leg for you," He explained, undoing what seemed to be about a million straps of velcro, "You need only your thigh to help move it, it should gradually aid in rebuilding the muscle," Hiei moved to seat Kira back down on the edge of the bed, but Kurama shook his head, "It will be easier to fit while standing," He smiled innocently while Hiei glared at him furiously, ' _Stop it, fox_.'

He first slipped her foot into the brace, doing the velcro on the top of her foot, followed by the ankle, calf, and so on; when he was finished he placed her foot flat on the ground, nodding to Hiei, who very promptly released Kira. She took a deep breath, first stepping with her left foot, followed by nearly having to drag her right; it had only budged a fraction from the ground.

Kurama offered a kind smile, "It will improve. For now, you have several people waiting to see you."


	13. Chapter 13: The Fox and The Wolf

**IT'S STILL ALIVE. For now. :P**

 **I just have to tease you guys... I am SO EXCITED FOR CHAPTER 14. It may be up today because I'm really bad at keeping things to myself..**

 **But for now! Here is Lone Wolf chapter 13! "The Fox and The Wolf."**

 **I'm not signing off yet because there will be another note at the bottom of this chapter :P**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Fox and The Wolf.**

Kirazuki stood outside on the deck of Genkai's temple, blatantly ignoring the massive commotion inside and enjoying the quiet night air. The Spirit Detective had decided after their training, her awakening was a call for drinks. Genkai had assigned them all rooms while she was out, although she was positive she wouldn't actually use hers; it was far too beautiful out here to waste anymore time inside, that and she had been caged up far too long prior.

"No celebration?" Kurama spoke suddenly from behind her, having learned a lesson from Keiko to make your presence known around Kira. He carried four small glasses with him, holding them carefully with his fingers.

Kira smiled only momentarily in greeting, before it fell into a deep frown again, "There is no cause for celebration," She replied, closing her honey eyes, "I'm useless to the cause right now," She fiddled irritably with her large leg brace, she could do nothing with this thing.

Kurama nodded solemnly, setting the glasses down gently and leaning against the railing of the deck to peer up at the sky, taking a small pleasure in the cool breeze. "You needn't worry, the damage that was done isn't permanent."

"Hopefully," Kira said simply with a sigh, "I don't want to be a burden, if it comes down to it I'd rather return to the Reikai. Taryuu would take care of you all,"

"We can begin retraining your muscle tomorrow if you wish," Kurama attempted to reassure Kira, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, noting she almost instantly tensed.

Kira let out a long sigh in relaxation, "I hope we can work miracles." She joked, toying with one of the glasses, "Is this what the Detective has referred to as drinks?" She asked sheepishly, pushing her worry to the back of her mind for now. Maybe Kurama was right.

He chuckled, "Yes, do they not allow you to have them in Reikai?"

Kira shook her head as she picked up the glass, "We don't get to have any fun up there," She tipped her head back as the liquid slid down her throat and instantly grimaced, "This is terrible!" She breathed hoarsely, the taste was in fact horrendous.

Kurama laughed now, taking a sip of his own drink, "It's believed to help one relax while under stress,"

"Or act like morons," She smirked, looking in one of the windows where Yusuke was wrestling with Kuwabara over one of Genkai's video games, Ryuu laughing manically, Kanami and Yukina giggling at their antics while Keiko yelled at the pair, "You're like us, right? Only a fox?" Kira asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Kurama nodded cautiously, unsure of how she knew.. well, any of that information, "I was once very powerful; but I was badly injured and needed to seek shelter within a human body to recover my strength." He admitted, taking another small swig of his drink.

Kira picked up her second glasses, tipping it up with another pained wince, "So you aren't _too_ far off from us, then," She felt.. warm for a change, perhaps a little dizzy as well. Perhaps these drinks worked too well, "Besides, what? A 900 year age difference?"

Kurama smiled, "Somewhere in that range, yes."

Kira gave her ears a playful twitch, her stress had definitely dissipated, "I hope I can someday roam for just as long," She proclaimed with a smile, looking up at the sky in thought. Yes, 900 years of freedom after 104 of captivity sounded fantastic; although in all reality, she had no idea what her average lifespan would be, she was, after all, the first embryo to survive, she supposed that would make her the tester on lifespan.

Kurama smiled again, admiring her seemingly simplistic young dreams, something which he had taken for granted so many years ago. He knew now exactly how it felt to be caged, "I'm sure you'll get your chance," Kira tried, pathetically, to hop up and sit on the railing, squealing loudly as she began to tip back forward, had it not been for Kurama's quick reflexes latching onto her upper arms, she would've fallen straight on her face, "One of the more undesirable effects of alcohol. Perhaps the brace as well," He chuckled, pushing her the remainder of the way up onto the rail.

Kira smiled in return, "Thanks for the look out," She joked, tipping her head back to admire the moon, the pale light reflecting in her now one goldeN, one brown eye. Typical wolf.

"Hn, enjoying the foolish human festivities?" Hiei walked down the long porch towards the two.

"Oh, you aren't?" Kira feigned surprised.

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle at the pair's mutual banter, "Yes, no cause for celebration, Hiei?" He asked innocently. Hiei simply shot him a horrid glare.

Kira attempted to hop down less-than gracefully from her railing, instead Hiei having to catch her yet again with an irritated sigh, mutter about her foolishness. She picked up one of her empty glasses, holding it up in front of her, "I need more of this stuff," She grinned mischievously.

* * *

"It's okay, it's not your fault you're defective, I am too now," Kira grinned happily, rubbing Kanami's head, who blushed furiously, Ryuu couldn't cease his laughter.

Kurama sweat dropped, "I apologize, I didn't think she would get so… Forthright.." He addressed Kanami, who was growing increasingly embarrassed.

Kira looked quite offended, glaring towards the fox and crossing her arms over her chest, "I was being nice! We have common ground now!" She proclaimed.

Kurama laughed nervously, "Right.. Well, I do believe it is time for the rest of us to retire. It's nearly 1AM.."

Yusuke and Kuwabara were both passed out in various awkward positions together on the couch, while Yukina and Keiko had gone to bed several hours prior. Hiei was nowhere to be found; it had been down to Kurama, Kanami, Ryuu and Kira, who groaned, "I don't want to...I just woke up yesterday,"

Kurama chuckled, smiling kindly at Kanami and Ryuu, "I'll make sure she finds her way," He squatted down next to Kira, placing her arm over his shoulders and hoisting her upwards; he had to remain quite hunched over in order for Kira's feet to remain on the ground.

"You're such a nice person," Kira grinned, her ears giving a few excited twitches, "Is it because you're so old?"

Kurama sweat dropped again as he helped her down one of the long hallways, "Perhaps? And thank you, I think,"

"Am I going to bed?" She whined, practically going dead weight, her brace making a dragging sound along the floor, "I just woke up.." She protested with a pout.

Kurama laughed in response, "You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"I see it," Kira grinned as her door came into view down another hall. She immediately kicked off her single sock she had insisted she **needed** to put on earlier, "Where did Hiei go?" She asked sadly, realizing it had been quite some time since she last saw the fire demon.

Kurama chuckled yet again, "More than likely shaking his head at your antics from afar," Almost as soon as he released her for only a moment to open the door, she had completely removed her shirt, "Kira!" Kurama scolded, quickly ushering her into her room; he couldn't help but notice a very intriguing scar that extended from the bottom of her left shoulder blade all the way to the top of her right shoulder. Had she not been so intoxicated he would have surely questioned it.

"Kurama!" Kira scolded back in a mocking manner; and it dawned on him that she probably had absolutely no concept of what any demon or human considered 'decent', so he let the topic be until another time, when she could actually comprehend...Anything.

Kurama shook his head, "Sit," He instructed with a chuckle, guiding her clumsily towards her bed, where Kira promptly flopped down on her back and yawned. Kurama sat on the floor and began undoing the many velcro straps of her brace.

"Thank you for not letting me die," Kira sat up again with surprising capability, "I've yet to have my chance at roaming free for 900 years," She grinned, her ears giving a lame twitch.

"You needn't thank me," He chuckled, undoing the straps at her thigh, "That is, after all, what we do for our friends,"

Kira leaned over, giving him a small peck on the forehead; this would ordinarily be a very sweet gestures, if it hadn't placed her breasts directly in his face; he _really_ needed to have that conversation with her when she was sober, he was having great trouble concealing his embarrassment, "Thank you anyway," She smiled, flopping back down again.

Kurama gently removed brace, setting it down against the small nightstand next to the bed, "Get some rest," He offered with a smile, only receiving a faint 'Mmm' in response as Kira quickly spiraled into sleep. He crept silently out the door, closing it as gently as he could manage. Upon turning around, Hiei was leaning against the hallway wall, a large smirk plastered over his face. Kurama chuckled, shaking his head as he closed his eyes, "It may have been unwise to allow her to get inebriated,"

Hiei pushed himself from the wall, beginning to trail off down the hallway, "She'll realize it tomorrow,"

* * *

 **I know I know, all about Kurama. But Kurama plays a huge roll in an up and coming plot twist (gosh I love that word...) so I really needed to begin furthering their relationship.**

 **Keep an eye out for chapter 14!**

 **-B.J.**


	14. Chapter 14: Fire and Ice

**Hello! I'll start with the bad news!**

 **1) my laptop did officially kick the bucket**

 **2) I lost everything I had already written :(**

 **3) I figured out how to do everything I needed to do from my phone: but then I cracked my phone to shit! :,(**

 **So I AM STILL here and alive, updates just may be slower now :P I was CRUSHED when chapter 14 went down because I loved it just as it was, but I think I got it pretty close to the original I had written :P SO here it is!**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Fire and Ice.**

 **"Some say the world will end in fire,**

 **Some say in ice,**

 **From what I've tasted of desire,**

 **I hold with those who favor fire…"**

 **\- Robert Frost; Excerpt from Fire and Ice.**

Fuck. Fuck.

Kirazuki sat up in her bed with a painful groan, cradling her head that she was positive was attempting to crack itself in half. "What the hell…" She muttered, dragging herself to the edge of her bed grudgingly. She scooped her hair up into a long ponytail, fastening it by tying another separate strip of her hair around the mass at the top of her head.

Hair control: Check.

She gazed around the room in search of one of her shirts, all of which were still packed away in her small backpack.. all the way across the room. Shit. 'Here goes nothing.' She thought, pushing herself off of the bed and landing with a loud thud, 'Alright, not so bad.'

She somehow managed to wrestle her way into one of her shirts, another plain white cropped t-shirt; that's really all they received in the Reikai, but she had taken the liberty of tearing the bottom half off of it long ago.

Shirt: Check.

Pants.. She still had on a pair of plain black shorts from last night. She contemplated if a pair of new pants was worth the hassle.. No, no it wasn't. Not on a morning like this one.

Pants: Check.

Her door peeked its way open just a small crack with the slightest of creeks, "Are you alright? I heard a bang.." Keiko asked, fairly concerned from the hallway, but as soon as she opened the door all the way she couldn't help but giggle, "Do you need help?"

Kira grinned up at her sheepishly from the floor, pointing towards her robot-leg, "Perhaps…"

Keiko smiled as she entered the room, picking up the brace and sitting on the floor with Kira, "You get to start your training with me today," She slowly began tightening the velcro straps, laughing at the look of heartbreak on Kira's face, "Just for stretching, Kurama thought it would be good to stretch first. Oh, and he said he needed to talk with you about something. And that Hiei is training you after,"

"Oh great," Kira groaned, rubbing her temples, "Don't be surprised if I come back dead."

Keiko laughed, "He won't kill you," Her face fell slightly as she recalled the little 'trying to take over the world and possess her' incident.. "I think…"

* * *

Kirazuki was laying on her back in the dojo section of the temple, Keiko was currently pressing her right leg as close to her chest as she could; she had regained a significant amount of feeling in the upper half of her leg as well as a small amount of movement, but the lower portion of her leg was still moderately numb.

Kira sighed as Keiko brought her leg back down to the floor, "I hate this,"

Keiko laughed in return, "It'll get easier, you'll see," She smiled, twisting her ankle in a circular motion, "Ryuu seems nice," She added randomly to the conversation.

Kira shrugged from her spot on the ground, "I suppose.."

"Oh, are you two not..?" Keiko's cheeks flushed with momentary embarrassment.

Kira's nose instantly wrinkled, "Goodness no; that's not how things work up there," She winked, wrapping her arms around her thigh and pulling it up to her chest. This leg was still a giant pain.

Kurama suddenly cleared his throat from the doorway to make his presence known as he entered their conversation, Kira grinned at him, "Good morning fox," She greeted happily.

Kurama hadn't expected her to be so cheery by any means, "Good morning," He nodded towards the pair, "If you're feeling up to it, Hiei is ready for you,"

Kira groaned, letting her leg drop lamely to the floor, "Can you just tell him I died, please?"

"I'm afraid that excuse would be quite pointless," Kurama chuckled in return. Ahh, yes, the Jagan. Damnit. He offered his hand out to Kira to help her up; but she simply shook her head, clumsily managing her way upright.

"I've got this, thanks Keiko!"

"If you insist," He chuckled yet again, bidding farewell to Keiko and heading towards the doors with Kira trailing behind him. The brace was definitely helpful, it supported her practically useless lower leg and gave enough extra support to her upper leg to be able to walk by herself, despite the limp. Upon their exit, Hiei was already trailing off into the woods ahead of them.

"Keiko said you needed to talk to me about something?" She pondered, nearly tripping over a set of vines that had found its way into her brace.

Kurama sweatdropped; yes, he certainly did need to cover the concept of public indecency with the creature, recalling the previous night; he chuckled nervously, "Another time perhaps,"

They followed Hiei's fading form in silence for quite some time; Kira swore they had walked for at least an hour, her thigh was very rapidly growing sore. Was this her retraining? A simple stroll through the woods? That seemed very unlikely. "How much further are we going?"

Kurama smiled with a simple shrug, helping her over an old tree trunk which had fallen, "Unfortunately you are asking the wrong person,"

Hiei had finally halted below a very large tree ahead of them, waiting casually with his hands in the pockets of his cloak.

"Finally," Kira muttered, picking up her pace slightly to catch up with Kurama until they finally reached him, "Why so far?" She was already slightly out of breath, resting her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch it.

Hiei simply smirked in return, "It was the tallest I could find," He explained coldly, gazing up into the leaves, "Climb it."

Kurama instantly sweat dropped, "I don't know if that's-"

"No problem!" Kira grinned, relying primarily on her arms to begin hoisting herself to the top of the tree.

Kurama chuckled as she grew smaller and smaller, scaling her way up the branches, "Are you sure this is wise?" He directed towards Hiei.

Hiei simply smirked in return, "I guess we'll find out." It took her about 10 minutes to work her way as far as she could before they heard her call 'Piece of cake!' from the top. Hiei disappeared at once from Kurama's side and returned almost instantly, setting Kira unceremoniously on the ground at the base of the tree before giving his demands, "49 more,"

* * *

"I. Fucking. Hate you." Kira panted, using her shaking arms to hoist herself up onto the final branch for the 50th time in a row. The second she was far enough up, she planted herself so she was seated with her back against the trunk; she was entirely drenched with sweat. She reached up and untied her pony tail, relieving the pressure on her head as her long white, grey and black hair fell around her shoulders.

Kurama had left somewhere around the 15th time, it had been time for his own training with Taryuu.

Hiei smirked from the same branch with his hands resting leisurely in his pockets, fairly impressed she had managed to scale the entire tree his requested 50 times, he hadn't actually expected that, "Good."

"Go to hell," She breathed, resting her lame leg across the length of the branch and reaching for the velcro on her foot, she needed to escape this thing; mixed with sweat it was beginning to itch insanely.

Hiei raised his eyebrow and sighed as he watched her pathetic attempt at undoing the brace before sitting with his feet dangled towards the ground, swatting Kira's hand out of the way and tucking one of his hands under one of the many straps, lifting and dropping it carelessly on his lap before resuming the unfastening.

"Thank you," Kira smiled briefly, setting her head back against the trunk of the tree before speaking again, "But I still hate you." She added quickly, peeking her eyes down the length of the tree; how she had managed to actually climb it 50 times was beyond her. The sun was already starting to set in a brilliant range of pink to orange to blue; it must've taken her quite some time. Hiei smirked without a word. "Do you think it'll work again?" She asked suddenly, feeling the now-familiar but dulled warmth work its way up her leg.

"Eventually," He replied simply,attempting to focus on the task at hand. Why did humans make these with so many straps?

Kira grinned,her ears folding back playfully, "Is that a fact or an assumption?"

Hiei's eye twitched in irritation, knowing exactly what she was referring to, "The Jagan isn't a crystal ball, dog," He spoke through gritted teeth, contemplating shoving her from the branch momentarily as he finished with the straps.

Kira simply grinned again, slipping her leg out of the brace, swinging her good leg onto the branch before attempting to shimmy her way up to a standing position, but the very instant she attempted to put weight on her bad leg it collapsed under her. She let out an odd panicked squeal, dropping her brace and reaching for the nearest object to hopefully hold her in place, but still fairly surprised that she hadn't gone with it. She blinked in confusion, watching her self-proclaimed robot-leg spiral down to the grass, hitting every branch on it's way.

"Did we not cover this already?" Hiei growled, entirely furious. This was supposed to be the Reikai's greatest creation, and she nearly managed to fall her way to her own death.

It was then Kira noticed the incredibly tight grip on her upper arms, holding her steadily against the trunk of the tree, her own hands knotted in the sides of Hiei's cloak, "Oh," She whispered, tearing her vision away from her grounded brace and up towards Hiei's obviously angry stare where she grinned sheepishly, her stomach knotting from the closeness.

"'Oh'? You nearly topple like a helpless infant out of a tree and your reaction is 'oh'?" His rage was clearly faltering, fighting back the urge to smirk as his grip loosened slightly.

Kira took a deep breath, as though she was about to give some long winded speech about the issue, raising a pointed finger in front of her, her ears folding back, "..Yes." Was her only reply, her hand dropping to her side indignantly.

Hiei sighed, shaking his head, but his smirk gave away his sudden lack of irritation, "You fool."

"We should probably go down now," She whispered, finally relaxing her death grip on the other side of his cloak and slipping her arm behind his shoulder blades. Hiei simply nodded, attempting to ignore the foreign shiver as her cold seeped through the thin fabric at his back; releasing one of his hands and shifting his arm to her lower back in preparation for their 50th and final descent of the day.

But he didn't move.

'Move,' Willed his subconscious; but it was as if his mind and body had separated. Kira, picking up on the sudden atmospheric change and growing increasingly uncomfortable of the close proximity began to tense, 'Go,' His hand remaining on her arm seemed to begin to navigate itself, trailing upward and stopping at the side of her neck, he could feel the cold line of her jaw under his thumb; Kira flinched involuntarily from the warmth against her chilled skin, 'Leave.' She could hear her own pulse in her ears once again; casting her mismatched eyes upwards, momentarily taken aback by how close they were, she could once again feel his breath floating across her cheeks; she felt claustrophobic, "Hiei?"

"Mutt," He countered, some deep part of him enjoyed her discomforted reactions, how this supposedly powerful creation almost crumbled so easily, 'Screw it.' He finally closed the minuscule distance between the two with a confoundingly benevolent touch.

Kira inhaled sharply, simultaneously freezing over the upper half of the tree, startled by the sudden sensation so similar to fire dancing gently across her lips; it was almost vertiginous, the knot in her stomach seemed to have exploded, radiating itself through her being like a freight train of disorientation.

And then, at once, it all vanished just as quickly as it had come.

The fire had disappeared.

Kira stood for quite some time at the highest branch of the tallest tree, long enough so that the sheet of ice had begun to melt. 'What the fuck just happened?' Confused would have been an understatement, and she still had that lingering, strange 'dizzy' feeling; but one incredibly important question remained, as she gazed down helplessly towards the forest floor, "How am I going to get down?"


	15. Chapter 15: Growing Ties & Troubles Brew

**I'm STILL ALIVE! I'm still adjusting to operating solely from my phone but I'm getting used to it! :)**

 **I LOVE to hear from you guys! Whether it be reviews, or PMs don't be shy! I'm nice I promise!**

 **The next chapter should be up much sooner than this one was! And boy does it pack a punch! ;)**

 **-B.J.**

 **Chapter 15: Growing Ties & Troubles Brew**

Kirazuki sat peacefully on the porch railing of Genkai's temple, waiting patiently for the sun to rise itself into the cool morning air. Her ears twitched slightly as she listened to the crickets chirping in the distance. The Ningenkai certainly had its beauty. She couldn't wait to see the Makai, somewhere she hoped to call her home land some day.

"You're up quite early," A meek, kind voice cut through her thoughts.

Kira turned to see Yukina walking down the porch. She hadn't gotten much of a chance to connect with the small demon as she had with Keiko and Botan what with the whole venom coma incident, "Good morning," She greeted happily.

"Good morning" Yukina nodded, leaning against the railing, "Would you care for some coffee or tea? I normally have everything ready before anyone has awoken," She had such a pleasant, gentle air to her, it was refreshing.

"The sun will do," Kira replied, returning her gaze to the sky once again where the sun had finally begun to show itself.

Yukina smiled, "It is quite wonderful. Where I come from originally we have no sunrise or sunset."

Kira chuckled sadly, "Yes, they don't have these in the Reikai either. Where do you come from?" She questioned.

"It's a place called Hyouga," Yukina explained quietly, her eyes almost glistened with the memory, "It's a floating island within the Makai where only ice maidens reside."

Kira blinked in confusion, "I'm no expert but how do you all survive if you're comprised only of maidens?"

Yukina gave a light but sad laugh, "They give birth every 100 years through immaculate conception. I'm unsure exactly how it works to be honest,"

"And I thought we were made weird," Kira smiled, fascinated by the ice maidens story, "Tell me more,"

Yukina's eyes widened a fraction, it was really the first time she had actually been asked about her life prior to the Ningenkai, "Well.." She started with a small pause, unsure if she should continue, "I do have a twin brother,"

Kira's ears twitched in interest, "I thought you were all female?"

"They bare male children when they have broken the lands most sacred of rules," Yukina explained sadly, Kira could tell how much pain it brought her, "My mother.. She fell in love with a man.. It had been rumored a fire demon. When she gave birth, it was expected to be a single female, but instead my brother was born."

"You ready for this?!" Yusuke suddenly boomed from the front sliding door, a grin plastered across his face.

"Yes, Detective," Kira sighed in annoyance, swinging herself back over the rail, "We'll have to finish this conversation later," She smiled towards Yukina, before following after Yusuke.

Yukina returned the smile sadly, "Be safe," She felt drawn to the ice creature for some strange reason, she wanted to further connect with her, perhaps it was simply their mutual ice title; but it would need to wait, despite her disappointment.

Yusuke crouched down on the porch, "Hop on, I don't want you getting tired out before we even get there," Kira glared at him, but climbed up in classic piggyback form, "Trust me, it's a long walk," He grinned again, hooking his arms under her knees and standing up, beginning the long journey.

* * *

"You still awake back there? We're here." Yusuke squatted, releasing the tiny demon on his back.

"Yes I'm awake," Kira muttered as she stepped down, looking wearily towards the large mountain in front of them, "We're climbing that, aren't we?"

Yusuke grinned wryly in return, "We sure are."

* * *

'And The fox thought a tree would be too difficult,' Hiei scoffed to himself, having followed the two out of pure curiousity. He had yet to return to Genkai's since his... Mistake of an incident with the dog. Luckily for him, she truly didn't have the slightest idea what had occurred; from her thoughts she had believed she'd been cursed. But one would suppose thatsthe consequence of being born in a test tube and raised in a basement. He sat back against the trunk of the tree as the pair began to hike their way up the steep mountains dirt path.

"And what has brought you so far from the temple, Hiei?" Kurama's amused voice pierced his thoughts.

Sure enough, there was The fox standing slyly at the foot of his tree. "Simply waiting for the clumsy mutt to topple down the mountain side." He retorted with a smirk.

Kurama chuckled, "Yes, I'm sure that's your intention."

* * *

"You gettin' tired already?" Yusuke teased from a few feet in front of Kira.

She glared at him heatedly, "Just pacing myself," Truth be told, her leg was already getting sore, but she wasn't about to tell that to Yusuke.

"Seems like you're falling behind!" Yusuke teased before stumbling over a large rock.

"How is Keiko so nice and you're such a cocky asshole?" Kira harped, avoiding the rock Yusuke had almost tumbled over so unintelligently.

Yusuke sent her a sharp glare, but his grin gave away his lack of actual anger, "I don't know, why is Taryuu so nice and you're such a bitch?"

Kira's eyebrow twitched in irritation, "Why does everyone think that?" She muttered grudgingly; this was going to be a long hike.

Yusuke snickered, "Nahhh, he already told me you weren't," He turned around briefly to help Kira over a fallen tree on the path, "But probably him almost splattering Hiei while you were in a coma,"

"Why did that happen?" Kira questioned in confusion.

Yusuke shrugged one of his shoulders; perhaps the mountain was a poor choice, even he was beginning to tire, "He wanted Hiei to leave, and Hiei's a stubborn bastard,"

* * *

"Are you done fox?" Hiei's irritation was rapidly growing; he merely wished to be left alone in his tree in peace.

Kurama chuckled again, "I was simply coming to ensure Yusuke's training wasn't too difficult,"

"I think you've seen,"

* * *

"But why?" Kira questioned further, intrigued by whatever had occurred.

Yusuke looked at her with a look of confusion on his face, "You don't remember? I mean you were out but you definitely shot Ice at Ryuu,"

"I did?" Kira gasped; no, she definitely didn't recall anything from when she had been out. Her intrigue was causing her to pick up her pace in an effort to stay close to Yusuke.

He sighed in exasperation, "Ryuu had just gotten there; he asked for a minute alone; Hiei wouldn't leave; Ryuu tried going after him, but you shot an ice shard into his back," Yusuke explained all at once.

"Why didn't Hiei just leave?" Kira asked quizzically; noting they were almost finally to the top of the steep mountain.

Yusuke shrugged casually, "Now that I think about it, I don't think he left at all,"

* * *

"Come to think of it.." Kurama said with faux thoughtfulness, "I don't believe you've returned to the temple since your training session,"

Hiei sighed in further irritation, "Because I've always been such a poster child for socialization," He replied sarcastically.

Kurama chuckled, "I suppose you have me there,"

"If you're quite done I'd prefer to be left alone," Hiei closed his eyes; but the fox certainly noticed the glow from behind the thin fabric on his forehead; before he nodded and began making his way back to the temple.

* * *

"I can see Genkai's from here," Kira grinned in excitement from the mountains peak.

Yusuke smiled at the creature's happiness, "Keiko thought you'd like it,"

Kira's grin widened, "Keiko is very right," She could not only see Genkai's, she could see the entire forest, a small waterfall in the distance, a camp set up a few miles from the temple, she could even see a city in the distance; she would definitely have to come back here, "It's beautiful,"

"What's it been like?" Yusuke asked somberly, sitting himself down on a nearby boulder, "Coming here after spending such a long time locked up?"

"Overwhelming," Kira answered without hesitation, "Theres so many new smells and sounds, sights, emotions," She explained carefully, "We don't carry.. Bonds in the Reikai. We all have the same past and upbringing; yet we have no attachment to each other,"

Yusuke nodded slowly, "Except you and Ryuu?"

Kira shook her head slowly, "I'd still kill him as I would anyone else there if it was necessary."

* * *

Koenma knotted his hands before him, gnawing anxiously on his pacifier as he sat watching a video from his desk; George stood at his side, nervously watching the tiny rulers growing worry, he could have cut the tension in the room with a knife, "Koenma, sir... Perhaps we should bring Taryuu back?" He offered.

Koenma glared at the ogre from the corner of his eye, "I'm afraid that will only cause more of an uprising." He admitted ominously, picking his phone up off of the receiver and dialing it quickly, "Botan, I have something for you." Was all he said before hanging up the phone. He watched on the large screen as the congregated group of creatures talked in small whispers heatedly, occasional small fights breaking out between them; they were certainly plotting something without the presence of their leaders. "We need Kirazuki."

"Kira," Botan corrected with a large smile as she entered the room unannounced, but it instantly fell from her face at the sight of Koenma's deeply troubled expression, "Sir?"

Koenma sighed weightedly, knitting his fingers in his lap, "I need you to bring Kira back."

"Has something happened?" Botan asked quickly, her concern growing by the second.

Koenma began massaging his temples, shutting off the video before him, "It's what I fear is about to happen.."


	16. Chapter 16: Heavy Lies the Crown

**No special notices this time! Still adjusting to phone life, blah blah blah! Enjoy! I also forgot to mention last time that Lone Wolf had soared beyond 1,000 views! Yay you guys!**

 **PS; I'm sorry if this chapter is very long :P**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Heavy Lies the Crown**

It had been 3 days since the 'incident' with Hiei. It had also been 3 days since Kirazuki had seen Hiei, since he had even returned to the temple. She was growing anxious; had that been some strange demonic death seal? Would she suddenly cease living at the drop of a hat? She was still in the dark, and it was weighing heavy on her mind; she made a mental note to ask Kurama when she was done her day of training.

She was currently hiking the stairs of Genkai's temple for somewhere around the 90th time, Kurama awaiting patiently at the top; her leg had improved massively over the last few days, she could walk without the aid of her brace, although she did have quite the pronounced limp, and she did still need it to actually work her leg out. Today was the perfect day for training, it was significantly cooler than it had been, she had barely broken a sweat.

"How many more?" Kira groaned, fumbling momentarily over one of the steps.

Kurama chuckled, sitting himself on the top step, "7 more sets will make it an even 100," He confirmed with a kind smile.

"Good," Kira panted, working her way back down the steps. This was quite the change of pace from yesterday; Kuwabara had been in charge of her and they had gone for a simple stroll through the woods; it hadn't even come close to being as effective as the tree, mountain or stairs, "Are the others training as well?" She asked between breaths.

Kurama nodded, "Kuwabara and Yusuke are with Taryuu, while Kanami is still with Genkai, I'm unsure where Hiei has run off to," He admitted, knowing the fire demon wasn't terribly far as he could still sense him, although he hadn't actually seen him since their conversation the other day.

"Probably working out when to kill me," Kira muttered under her breath, beginning another climb upwards.

Kurama raised an eyebrow skeptically, having heard the faint whisper, "Why would you think that?"

"Later," Kira grumbled.

* * *

"You asshole!" Yusuke laughed, standing from where he had been thrown against the wall.

Taryuu's long tail gave a large twitch of excitement, a grin plastered across his handsome face. Kira couldn't help but smile: it would be unfortunate when they had to return to the Reikai, she could tell Ryuu really enjoyed spending time with, at least, Yusuke; they connected on some strange, mutual stubborn hot head level.

"Hey, what about me you guys!" Kuwabara yelled, trapped up in the high rafters of the temples dojo.

"Taryuu seems to be enjoying himself," Kurama chuckled from beside Kira, where they were seated against the wall observing the friendly spar.

Kira nodded, "It will be unfortunate when we have to return." It truly would, she would honestly miss Keiko the most; while she knew Ryuu would certainly miss Yusuke.

"Nonsense," Kurama attempted to comfort, "I'm sure all of our paths will surely cross again,"

"If I'm not dead," Kira muttered, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance as she folded her arms like a pillow behind her head.

Kurama's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Yes, back to that," He remembered her mutterings from earlier; as far as he knew it had seemed as if the fire demon had a soft spot for the wolf; "What would make you think such a thing?"

"I'm pretty sure he cursed me," Kira gave a heavy sigh, waving her hand in the air for emphasis, "Some fire demon death seal or something,"

Kurama raked his brain for any knowledge of a 'fire demon death seal' before tipping his head to the side quizzically, "I don't believe Hiei knows any.. Death seals,"

Kira put her hands up in front of her, shaking them defensively, "You didn't have it happen to you," She crossed her arms over her chest, resuming her observations of Yusuke and Taryuu as he wrapped his long tail around the spirit detective and threw him against the wall yet again, "I thought my chest was going to implode,"

"Kira, I don't believe such a curse exists," Kurama couldn't help but chuckle, he was positive it had been something she simply didn't understand, "What exactly happened?"

Kira sighed, heaving herself forward as she began to recall the incident, "I had just finished climbing that ridiculous tree for the 50th time like I was supposed to, but then I almost fell, and Hiei caught me, called me a fool, and then did the death seal," She nodded animatedly in confirmation.

Kurama sweat dropped, still not understanding, "And what, pray tell, did this involve?"

"If you end up cursed as well it's not my doing," Kira warned with a pointed finger, "I don't know how it works," Kurama attempted in vain to contain his laughter, but nodded none the less, "I warned you," Kurama nodded again, but flinched unintentionally when Kira suddenly placed an ice cold hand on his cheek; his surprise only furthered when she swiftly rose her face to his, her frigid lips meeting his own.

"Kira!" The sliding wooden door slammed open, "Koenma needs yo-... Oh my..." Botan sweatdropped, stopping suddenly and looking entirely confused.

"Are you two kissing?!" Kuwabara screamed in horror from his place still stuck in the dark rafters.

Kira tipped her head to the side quizzically; while Kurama chuckled nervously as he attempted to regain his composure, connecting the dots within his brain. It appeared perhaps the fire demon was more fond of the wolf than he had originally thought. He quickly placed his hands up in front of him defensively, "Kira was just asking me about something-"

'Don't. You. Dare.' Hiei's threatening voice pierced Kuramas thoughts.

"..She had seen on TV," He finished quickly, a sheepish grin on his reddened face.

Botan blinked several times, "Right.." She exhaled as she restored her calm, "Koenma needs you all to report to Reikai straight away,"

"We're busy training for the mission he's sending us on!" Yusuke retorted, irritated by the twists and turns in this mission.

"He knows," Botan argued, glaring at the spirit detective, "But he's worried the others are starting to plot something without Kira and Ryuu there,"

"Well why don't they just go then?!" Yusuke yelled back.

"He wants this to be a lesson to you all," Botan was rarely angered, but Yusuke was testing her patience. Why could he not just do what he was told?

Kira gritted her teeth together as rage swelled in her chest; she leaves for a month and a half so far and they already think they can start chaos, "Let's go then,"

Kurama was slightly taken aback by this sudden change in demeanor, but nodded in agreement, "I'll find Hiei,"

* * *

"I'm not sure what it is they're planning," Koenma spoke in an eerily dark tone as the group stood behind an observation glass which peered into an enormous, brightly tiled room. Within the walls were the 44 other creatures the Reikai had concocted, congregated in the center of the room.

"Unlock the door," Kira spoke coldly, her hand already on the massive, metal vault knob. Taryuu stepped forward towards the door behind her, but she quickly raised her hand up in his direction, "I don't need help."

"Your leg still isn't well," Kurama warned, a fair amount of concern in his voice.

"I've got it," She shot back; this was certainly a different Kira then the one they had gotten to know. Similar to when she had first seen Kanami inside Genkai's temple; the way her shoulders squared and eyes held no joy. It was like she has regressed back to the first day they had met her; lacking any sort of emotional development.

Koenma nodded slowly, pressing a small silver button below the two way mirror; immediately followed by the eerie sound of grinding metal gears and four loud, clanking clicks. Kira rolled her neck and exhaled before grabbing both sides of the vault-like knob and twisted until it opened with a loud pop. As soon as her first foot crossed the doorframe, the entire floor of the holding room began to freeze over.

"Little over dramatic don't ya think?" Kuwabara muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Are you truly that much of a moron?" Hiei spoke for the first time since they'd arrived, ignoring Kuwabara's defensive retort.

"By freezing over the entire area it all becomes part of her own attack territory," Koenma explained, not daring to remove his eyes, "We can hope it's an unnecessary precaution,"

"It won't be," Kanami spoke meekly from next to Hiei, "There's a power struggle, they don't know what to do with the absence of both Kirazuki and Taryuu."

The chatter that erupted shortly after Kira entered was almost deafening.

"What is this?!"

"Kira!

"Who's doing this?"

"She's back!"

"Look at her leg!"

"This is our chance!"

"It's Kira!"

The expressions varied from happiness, anger, disappointment and some even fearful.

"I leave for a little over a month and this is how you handle it?!" Kira yelled, her teeth gritting together, "What exactly did you plan on doing?"

"Why should you 3 be the only ones to roam free?!" What appeared to be a male tiger demon shouted back, taking a step forward, some in the crowd yelled in agreement.

"I left for all of you!" Kira screamed back, "They don't trust us, I'm trying to gain that trust and you all sit here plotting to destroy it," She was disgusted with their behavior, this blatant betrayal to the Reikai, who they owed their very lives to.

"Not us all!" Shouted out another creature in the back, "Most of us remain loyal, to you," There was an eruption of praise to this statement.

Kira tipped her head sideways with a smirk, "And those who don't?" She called out as if requesting their presence.

The tiger stepped forward at once followed by 3 others, but he was the only one who spoke, "Why should we put our faith in-"

Kira swiftly rose one of her hands; a large spike of ice driving through the bottom of his chin, poking its way out of the top of his skull. "Let him be an example to you," She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She knew she would have some challengers, it was inevitable; especially with her brace being visible, they already knew she was injured. "This is your last chance."

One of the creatures quickly bowed her head, stepping back with quickly muttered apologies. A wise choice on her part. The other 2 didn't even falter.

Kira heard a rush of air on her left, quickly propelling herself up with her good leg to avoid the clever wind gust; but immediately to her right a roll of flames came barreling towards her. Although she managed to dodge the brunt of it, it did graze her bad leg. A large part of her wanted to cry out when she landed, but she knew she couldn't as she dug her teeth into her lower lip to contain the painful scream.

"Open the door!" Taryuu yelled at Koenma as another gust of air pushed Kira back onto one of her knees, digging her nails into the floor to avoid flying into the crowd.

"Give her a minute big guy," Yusuke gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Kira spun around on her knee, raising both of her hands quickly into the air. Two more spikes jutted out of the ground; the first hitting its target, the air demon, directly through his heart and out of his back. The second aimed at the fire demon was a little more sloppy; entering through his hip and traveling up through his shoulder. "Too bad.." She said quietly to herself, rising to her feet as her arm began to glow with energy, her ice sword glinting maliciously in the brightened light.

The fire demon screamed in pain, simultaneously begging, "Kira, please! I was just going along with Tora! He made me! Please!"

An intense melancholy overwhelmed her as she placed her free hand on his warm cheek, "I warned you.."

* * *

The pale moonlight reflected as far as the eye could see, illuminating the expansive, forested grounds which housed Genkai's temple. Kira sat high in an old pine tree, fiddling absently with her own fingers in her lap as she lightly swung her legs back and forth, lost in her own head. Just 2 short months ago, this wouldn't have even been a conflicting situation; if anyone challenged her, naturally she would have taken them out. This strange yet wonderful group of humans and demons alike was changing her.

"Wallowing again?" Came the ever familiar voice from directly next to her.

"Yes," Kira replied quietly with the faintest trace of a smile.

Hiei sat down in a similar position on the same branch, closing his eyes, "You did warn the fool after impaling his moronic friend,"

Kira swung her leg to the opposite side of the branch, straddling it and facing Hiei, "That doesn't mean it was right," She followed without hesitation; feeling the comforting warmth radiating off of him. There was a somber ache in her chest she wished would dissipate.

"He had his chan-" Hiei stopped abruptly as a shiver quaked its way from his side, bristling his skin; the tiny ice demoness had laced both of her arms around his own arm, resting her cheek on his shoulder. Surprised would be an understatement: it wasn't every day, or ever, that anyone was bold enough, or even wanted, to be so near to him. Unless, of course, they were trying to kill him. It was an incredibly foreign territory for him; but the mutt certainly did seem to have a knack for that.

"Chance," Kira finished for him with a small grin, she could clearly tell he was taken off guard; Hiei simply nodded in confirmation. They sat in soothing silence for quite some time, almost in fear of fracturing the moment; it calmed her turbulent inner beast in a seemingly impossible way, but she was the first to break the quietude, "Kurama told me you didn't curse me."

Hiei's smirk gave away his mask of a cold exterior as his crimson eyes focused in on the giant moon above with the simplest of responses, "No."


	17. Chapter 17: Up All Night

**Sorry this took so long, I've been struck with the plague (okay, it might just be the common cold :P) the new laptop is on the way so I should be back up and running in around a week!**

 **I also had a question sent to me via PM I thought I would share with you all because I felt this was a great question!**

 **-B.J.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Up All Night**

Kirazuki stretched out in her bed with a large yawn, burying her face in her blanket in an attempt to hide from the looming sun. She had to admit, she had wanted to spend her nights here outside, but these beds were nothing like the cots they had in the Reikai. It was no longer a wonder to her why humans slept in them instead of outdoors. She sat up and began to massage her leg (which had become part of her morning routine; whether it helped or not she was unsure), thinking about the previous day. A large part of her still didn't believe she had done right, killing a man she grew up with who had begged for his life, but who was to say he wouldn't have done the same to her? If he could've, at least. She gave a heavy sigh before grudgingly removing herself from the warmth of her bed, limping (although now minimally) her way over to her small 3-drawer dresser.

As she finished tugging on a pair of plain black shhorts, reaching for her shirt drawer, there was a faint knock on her door, "Come in!" The door creaked open and Kurama poked his head in, only to sigh heavily and sweatdrop as Kira tugged her head, one ear at a time, through her white cropped t-shirt, "Good morning fox," She smiled faintly.

He had yet to cover the indecency topic, but let it be once again for another day, "Yukina wished me to inform you breakfast is ready,"

Kira nodded, she did love Yukina's breakfasts, "Thank you," She slyly slipped out the door around Kurama, who followed her silently with a mysterious smile through the many hallways of the temple. When they finally came upon the dining area Keiko, Yukina, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yusuke, Botan, Kanami and Taryuu were standing around the table smiling at the two, while Hiei stood leaning against the wall with a scowl. There were a few shiny boxes sitting on the table, as well as a massive array of food.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all (except Hiei, of course, who looked as if he has been dragged there) shouted in unison, Taryuu's tail giving a large excited twitch which sent a frail wooden chair flying from the dining table.

Kira blinked in confusion, looking towards Kurama; perhaps they had been yelling at him? But Kurama had the same ridiculous smile on his face as everyone else, "What is a 'birthday'?" She whispered, her ears folding back.

Taryuu's booming laughter filled the room, "Hey, I didn't know until yesterday either,"

Keiko sighed heavily, stepping forward slightly, "Your birthday is the exact day you were born of every year," She explained timidly, "Today is exactly 105 years since.. Well, Koenma made you."

"I had to do a little digging to find out exactly when," Botan winked, placing a thoughtful finger on her cheek, "Although I wasn't sure exactly what your birth would have been so we just went with the day you were removed from your.. tube,"

Kira's eyebrow raised skeptically, "So I get breakfast just for being alive?"

"And presents!" Botan squealed, clapping her hands together; but she quickly raised her finger up again, "But not until after we eat!"

* * *

"Mine first!" Yelled Botan, shoving a rectangular package towards Kira, who had just taken her last bite less than .5 seconds ago, "I cannot disclose why just yet, but you will need this very soon,"

Kira looked at it quizzically, almost paranoid of this 'present', "Why can't I know now?"

Botan gave a heavy sigh, "Koenma has strictly forbidden me from telling any of you anything about the mission. But I do promise you'll need it!

What did the toddler have planned for them? She began to remove the shimmering paper from the box before wearily peeking it open a fraction to peer at its contents. To her surprise, it appeared to be a.. Dress? She pulled the silk-like dress from the box; it was strikingly beautiful, greatly resembling a Chinese Cheongsam, made of black fabric with an almost filigree looking silver to white pattern spanning the entire dress, she imagined it would reach slightly above her knees. She was also positive she would accidentally mangle the gorgeous garment.

"As I said," Botan interrupted her thoughts, worried the small ice demoness didn't like her gift, "You'll need it in just a few short days,"

Kira gently folded it, placing it delicately back into the box, "It's breathtaking, thank you," She confirmed with a smile.

Kanami had coordinated with Botan, getting her a pair of black high heels which laced up to underneath her knee in twisted silver metal (which she had vowed she'd practice walking in, since she was used to boots or barefoot). Keiko and Yusuke, although Yusuke had tried to steal all the credit even though the majority was probably Keiko, had gotten her a 'charm bracelet', it had 5 charms: a small silver wolf, a brilliant little crystal the color of ice, and the symbols for strength, courage, and friendship. Keiko had also promised she'd have another charm each time Kira would visit, for incentive of course. Kurama had, naturally, gone with a bouquet of de-thorned roses.

Yukina was last, handing over a very small, almost delicate little box. Kira opened it to reveal a small silver necklace, with two little gems dangling from it. Yukina smiled, "When my people shed tears, they turn into these stones," She explained quietly, "They're very valuable, but I thought maybe they'd make a good reminder of your time here."

Kira looked momentarily mortified, "But you had to cry for these," She protested, holding them gently in her hand.

Yukina simply continued to smile, "Happy tears, I promise,"

Kira smiled in return, slowly clasping the necklace around her neck, "Thank you all, very much," They never had things like this in the Reikai, it was all training, fights, simulations, reading, learning; anything but celebrations of life.

Keiko spoke from the other side of the table, "I didn't know when the next time we'd be able to see you for another birthday would be, so we wanted to celebrate at least one with you,"

Kira stood now, "Thank you, it means.. A lot. I'll have to integrate birthday celebrations into the Reikai," She laughed lightly, "I have to find Hiei now," Yes, she did still need to train today. Disregarding Kuwabara and Yusuke yelling about drinks later, she began to make her way through the temple, knowing more than likely the fire demon was outside of the dojo.

"Done with the festivities?" Hiei spoke snidely from the porch railing, just as Kira had suspected. He momentarily fixated on the necklace she had presumably just received, although the small gesture went unnoticed as she nodded in response. He stepped down from the rail, "Don't think it will be an easy day just because the humans think it's your birthday," He smirked, tucking his hands in his pockets and beginning to walk down the porch stairs.

"I would expect no less," Kira grinned, trailing behind him a few feet.

"No brace?" He asked mindlessly, leading the way to a nearby clearing.

Kira shrugged lightly, "I can't wear it forever," She halted as they reached a small clearing, while Hiei walked to the other side, removing his cloak.

"Good luck then," He smirked as he unsheathed his glinting blade.

* * *

"You still exhaust too much energy far too quickly," Hiei criticized, appearing behind a panting Kira and swiftly bringing his blade down, but she extending her own down her back, effectively blocking the blow; Hiei followed up with a kick to the small of her back which sent her flying.

Kira caught herself on her free hand, springing herself up into a nearby tree, "I could still do this all day," Truth be told, they already had been doing this for the majority of the day, but it was beginning to look like another draw despite her lame leg. Admittedly, she was on the defensive for most of this spar; as she jumped from tree to tree blocking and dodging.

"If you say so, Mutt," Hiei smirked, appearing on the branch above Kira and bringing his blade down, but she flipped herself onto the ground to avoid it. Hiei followed it flawlessly, landing crouched on the ground in front of Kira, but she quickly began hopping her way branch by branch up the same tree, waiting each time for Hiei to appear on the one under it.

Kira waited until her opportunity, until he grew used to the pattern, landing on the same branch as her and instead of hopping up, she grabbed onto the branch above and swung herself forward, hitting him square in the chest with her knees and launching him backwards.

"Finally," She followed with remarkable fluidity, landing atop the fire demon as his back skidded across the grass and digging her free palm into the ground to halt the two, her sword of ice pointed at the side of his neck, "Got ya," She breathed with relief, but yelped in sudden surprise as her head was pushed down, feeling the cold steel against the back of her neck (luckily the blunt side, or she'd be missing some hair).

"Not quite," Hiei smirked cockily, the tip of his nose just a few millimeters from Kira's.

She narrowed her eyes an annoyance, she had definitely thought this spar was finally something other than a draw, "I hate you." But that foreign stomach knot was working its way back up her throat as she grew ever more aware of the heat spreading around her.

"Good," Hiei retorted in a low purr that sent a stray shiver down Kira's spine.

"WHERE ARE YA, YOU MANGEY DOG?! IT'S TIME TO DRINK!" Yusuke voice cut through the forest, followed by Kuwabara's mindless laughter.

That damn Spirit Detective.

* * *

Kira stumbled onto the porch, accidentally slamming the sliding door behind her, momentarily refreshed by the sudden rush of cool air as she leaned against the railing. Yes, she would definitely regret tonight in the morning, but it was her 'birthday' for now, so why not. The moon was full tonight, illuminating everything so brilliantly she wished she could reach out and touch it; perhaps it was just her inner wolf.

"Enjoying yourself?" Hiei's voice pierced her thoughts, dripping with mock humor. Kira looked away from the moon to see him leaning against the outside wall of the temple.

"You seem to appear out of no where a lot," Kira grinned, hopping clumsily to sit on the railing, "It's a talent really,"

"Years of practice," He replied sarcastically, making his way over to lean on the railing.

"Oh, I'm sure," Kira smiled, enjoying the rare banter, "I can only imagine a tiny toddler Hiei scampering around in the shadows attempting to surprise his next unwilling victim,"

Hiei shook his head, closing his eyes with the faintest trace of a smile. Truth be told, it may have been an accurate thought from his childhood with the bandits; he did need to learn how to be stealthy somehow, "Hours on end,"

"I knew it," Kira countered airily, tipping her head back to gaze at the stars with mismatched eyes.

Hiei simply smirked, pushing himself from the rail and beginning to walk down the stairs to the pairs side, but he stopped briefly with a sigh, "Care for a 'birthday' adventure?"

Kira's ears instantly perked as 'adventure', "Why of course," She hopped down from the railing, wincing as she realized she was still fairly drunk.

"If you can keep up," Hiei shot back, disappearing into the trees.

Kira huffed to herself, taking off after the fire demon despite her balance, which left much to be desired. She was determined to stay with him, but tree by tree she could feel her momentum starting to get ahead of her feet. As soon as they started following alongside a river, vertigo began to set in until she finally tripped over her own foot.

Kira let out an odd squeal, closing her eyes and expecting to hit the ground - hard; but instead the momentum continued. She peeked one eye open to see the ground flying beneath her, "I didn't expect you to keep up," Hiei smirked, a steady arm wrapped around her torso.

"Perhaps before the drinks would've been a better choi-," Kira was cut off as they came to a halting sudden stop on the ground.

Hiei released the tiny wolf demoness from his grasp, simply watching as her eyes widened with childlike wonder, muttering something incoherently to herself as she began to wander. They had followed the river all the way to the end of a large cliff, where it dumped over the edge in a brilliant waterfall, into a small lake at the bottom, the lake itself surrounded by various wildflowers; all highlighted by the full Moon. It must be quite a blessing, Hiei thought at least, to hold such an innocent fascination with simple sights, something many may just pass by.

"How did you find it?" Kira breathed, standing by the edge of the cliff, her eyes slowly scanning the entire area.

"Chance," Hiei spoke from a few feet behind her. He supposed that wasn't a complete lie, he had found it during his brief absence after 'the incident'; he had felt he needed to distance himself but this place had just made it worse.

The two spent hours there, sitting at the edge of the cliff. There was silence, there was story telling (although mostly from Kira), exchanges of banter, talk of the upcoming battle they would all face; until the very first golden Ray of sunrise began to peek its way above the tree line.

Kira arose from the cliff's ledge quickly, making her way over to the river's edge, a few feet away from where it dumped over into the fall. She was gone in a flash, and there was a sudden, large splash of water; Hiei almost panicked momentarily from the sudden noise. She had frozen over in a pillar of water into ice, directly in front of the waterfall all the way through the sandy bottom, standing on a frozen disc only slightly above the now parted water to watch the sun rise.

"I could exist here," She smiled, never taking her eyes away from the horizon.

Hiei smirked in response, leaning back from where he was sitting to relax on his palms, "Wait until you see the Makai before making such a proclamation."

Although he would never admit it out loud, this might be something he could get used to.


	18. Chapter 18: Debriefing

**Hello! So... I have a million ideas swimming around in my head and obviously can't do them all at the same time! So.. My new laptop has arrived and I will be typing out the FIRST CHAPTER to all of these ideas, as well as brief summaries, and then placing a poll on my page and letting YOU GUYS choose. I'll probably end up picking 2 even though I'm going to say the ONE that gets the most votes I'll continue :P keep an eye out! And yes "A Light in the Dark" will be revised and be one on the list! The rest will go into storage for another time!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Debriefing**

"Oh for the love of all things holy," Kirazuki groaned in irritation, massaging her temples with her ears folded back flushly against her head, "How long is this going to take?"

Kurama chuckled at her side, fairly amused at the scene before them, "It could be several hours, knowing Kuwabara," He cast a discreet glance towards Hiei, who was clearly just as irritated as Kira, for entirely different reasons. Kuwabara was kneeling in front of Yukina a few yards away, shouting out promises and professions of love as the rest of them waited impatiently.

Yusuke finally yelled at his orange-haired friend, "We have a mission to-"

"Leave him be! He's a man in love!" Taryuu boomed with a grin, his tail swishing from side to side.

"Yes, Yusuke, have some compassion!" Botan laughed heartily in agreement.

Taryuu couldn't resist, following up in the grim reapers response, "Yeah, listen to the pretty lady, Urameshi," Botan's cheeks flushed at the statement.

"Stop being a flirt," Kira retorted to Ryuu with a swift glare and a sharp kick to the back of the knee.

"Says the one who was kissing Kurama," Yusuke teased back with a mischievous grin before a loud argument ensued.

"It was a misunderstanding!"

"Spirit detective has a point!"

"We have a time schedule!"

"Leave Kuwabara alone!"

"It's not my fault she's pretty!"

"Will you stop it!"

Hiei sighed, his eye twitching with annoyance, "How long do we have to put up with this foolishness?" He spoke to the fox at his side.

Kurama raised both of his eyebrows with a sweatdrop, attempting to stifle his laughter, "Well, at least there will be no dull moments," He attempted to offer in consolation, although it fell on deaf ears.

"Will you guys be quiet?!" Kuwabara shouted desperately from where he knelt, clutching Yukina's (who looked increasingly uncomfortable) hands in his own, "I'm trying to say goodbye to my girlfriend!"

"Well wrap it up!" Yusuke turned on him quickly, "We have a world to save!"

* * *

Koenma cleared his throat in an attempt to gain the attention of the rowdy group standing in his office. Kuwabara was still arguing with Yusuke, while Taryuu, Kira and Botan were fighting amongst themselves; Hiei, Kurama and Kanami were the only ones sitting quietly waiting to hear from the Reikai ruler. His annoyance spiked when the others refused to listen, slamming his hands down upon his desk in tantrum-like fashion, "WILL YOU STOP?! WE HAVE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO TEND TO!"

"Alright, alright," Yusuke sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest, "So, what are we doing then?" The tone of his voice almost insinuated Koenma was the one holding things up.

Koenma took a deep, steadying breath, muttering something incoherent to himself; he really hated his job some days, "Thank you," He pressed a button on the remote on his desk, and the large screen in his office flickered to life, "Currently, we don't have an exact position on The subjects-"

"How do you lose 2 super demons?" Kira shot back quickly with annoyance; it had been almost 2 months and they didn't even have an approximate location?

Koenma glared at her for a moment, "The Makai is a very large place,"

"And they are very large energy sources," Kurama joined, understanding where Kira was coming from.

Koenma cleared his throat again, "Yes, well, we believe they're somehow masking their energy sources-"

"A psychic," Kanami interrupted.

"Will you all let me finish!" He yelled out in frustration, causing Kanami to squeak and sink back into her chair, "But yes, we believe they've recruited a psychic, a very powerful one, apparently." He pressed one of the little arrows on his remote and two unfamiliar faces popped up on the screen, "Although we've had no luck in locating the actual subjects, we have found two informants who have had prior contact with Tobikuma and Tatsumi,"

"And you think we can trust them, because..?" Hiei spoke up from next to Kurama, his foot tapping impatiently on the pastel tile floor.

"That's for you all to figure out. They were very... Specific," Koenma pressed the arrow on his remote again, and the screen slid to a very large, well lit red building. Kira would've guessed it was in the Ningenkai instead of the Makai, "They both agreed to meet and share what they do know, but you must meet them here-"

"That's where my present comes in," Botan whispered excitedly in Kira's ear.

"Kajino Roiyaruzu," Kurama spoke, "It's a very... Upscale hotel-casino for the wealthier within the Makai to waste their earnings," He explained for those in the room unlikely to know of the location, "Wealthy humans who travel to the Makai for their.. Fun, generally reside there as well,"

"Guys like that bastard who held My love hostage," Kuwabara said through gritted teeth, while Kurama nodded in response.

"It's very high security, which I believe is why they specified here," Koenma added to the conversation, "You will all stay there 2 nights, they've agreed to meet you on separate nights in one of the hotels conference rooms. This is not a place you are permitted to fight, absolutely no violence within its walls," He warned sternly.

"And then what?" Kira questioned, narrowing her mismatched eyes. As Koenma had said, the Makai is a large place, what if these two informants were entirely useless?

"Then, hopefully, you'll have enough clues to locate them," Koenma confessed nervously, knowing this wasn't an adequate response.

"I'm no rocket scientist," Taryuu spoke up in a low rumble, "But Tobi and Sumi aren't stupid; two rogue followers aren't going to lead us straight to them,"

Koenma sighed with disheartenment yet again, "I know it's not much, but.. We have to get these two as soon as possible. They might not know a terrible amount, but right now.. They're the best chance we have.,"

* * *

"What IS this?!" Kirazuki gawked, stretching the stringy piece of fabric across both of her hands until to it flung across the room, hitting Botan square in the face.

Botan sweat dropped as it fell to the floor at her feet, "It's a bra!" She screamed in shock, snatching it from the ground indignantly, "Honestly, they never gave these to you?!"

Both Kanami and Kira shook their heads in unison. The 3 were currently in the ferry girls quarters; which was a quaint little room with a single full-view mirror, a small desk and chair and an adjoined bathroom. Botan had promised to get the pair ready for Kajino Roiyaruzu, but she was beginning to lose hope. "It holds your breasts in place!" She explained in exasperation.

Kanami looked quite thrilled, while Kira's nose wrinkled at the thought. She picked up more strange fabric which was definitely not a bra, "And what are these?"

Botan sighed, "Honestly, did they give you any of the feminine basics?!" She snatched it from Kira's hands quickly, holding it up, "These are underwear! What do you all even do for your time of the month?!"

Kira laughed at the grim reapers questioning, but this one was something she recognized from her years of mindless book reading, "None of us have them, we're all snipped after we mature," She held her hands up in front of her face with her nails pointed down, wiggling her fingers, "Can't have any big bad super demon babies running around,"

Botan looked quite saddened by this, the way it rolled so easily off of Kira's tongue like it was something normal to have that right taken away, "And you're okay with that?"

Kira waved her hand in the air mindlessly, going through some more things within the desk drawers of the quarters, "We aren't made to make life, we were made to take it,"

"That's quite a grim outlook," Kanami said sadly, "What about when our servitude to the Reikai ends?"

"Then I'll look for someone in the Makai to fight for," Kira replied airily. Kanami, at the very least, should have seen her point; they had spent 100 years training for one single purpose, they had been MADE for that purpose. Why could no one ever see that? They seemed so quick to assume the Reikai was doing wrong.

Botan tipped her head to the side, "But you don't wish to.. Settle down one day? Live peacefully?"

Kira raised an eyebrow, "Surely not until I'm decrepit, in which case I'll simply live out my final days on a cliff side with a glorious view," Her mind momentarily wandered back to her birthday night at the cliff with the wondrous view; that was the kind of view she could go for before her death, "Are we going to get ready or have a heart to heart all day?"

Botan shook her head swiftly, as if shaking herself out of her own thoughts, "Right, you two need to get ready,"

* * *

"Will you stop moving!" Botan shouted at Kira, trying to pin the rest of her curled hair in place, "You may as well wear a suit like the boys!"

Kira's eye twitched with irritation as Botan yanked a chunk of her hair, "I'm trying, you're pulling it!"

Kanami laughed gently from where she was seated next to Kira, watching poor Botans endeavor; she hadn't been nearly as difficult as the wolf. Her light hair was swept in a curled up-do and the grim reaper had gotten her a silky sky blue dress the same style as Kira's (only much longer, by request) with a pair of white flats (which Kira was not pleased with, as she was forced to wear the heels she was gifted). Kira didn't necessarily like the psychic, she had to admit she did look beautiful.

"Maybe if you brushed it more than once a year I wouldn't have to pull it so much!" Although Botan had been hopeful at first that Kira's hair would be as easy to manage as Kanami's had been, considering it had such a shine to it, that was unfortunately not the case: it was not only surprisingly coarse but also tangled incredibly easily, and it was certainly difficult to get curls to set in it.

Kira simply grinned, "I'm a filthy animal, what more do you want?" She joked.

"Done!" Botan exclaimed, fairly relieved the ordeal was over with, standing Kira up and bringing her to the full-view mirror; she almost didn't recognize herself. Her normally straight, untamed black, grey and white hair has been curled and pinned around so the majority of it was in front of her left shoulder, with a few stray curls framing her face, her dress fight surprisingly well, especially in comparison to her normal attire. It was... Strange. She would even wager she'd think herself pretty if she was a simple stranger on the street.

"Oh! Koenma needs you to wear this as well!" Botan said quickly, pulling out another collar-like black device, although this one looked more like a tight, thin choker necklace than a collar, "This one will keep them from tracking you, Taryuu has one as well. Kanami should be able to mask herself," She explained, clasping the tight strip around Kira's neck, careful to avoid not only Yukina's necklace but the ice demoness' hair.

"Ryuu's wearing a necklace?" Kira smirked with a little ear twitch.

Botan glared at her momentarily, "It's built into his tie!"

"Ryuu's wearing a tie?!"

* * *

"Holy shit!" Yusuke exclaimed with a large grin plastering it's way across his face; he quickly stood from where he was sitting and making his way forward towards the group of women, "You-" He paused, poking a pointed finger between Kira's collar bones, "- Actually look like a girl,"

Kira raised a single eyebrow, removing his finger and lifting her hands to straighten his black tie, "And you actually don't look like a little street punk," She replied smoothly, peeking around him to see the rest of the group, noting that Taryuu didn't have a suit jacket like the rest of them, "Where's the rest of your costume?"

Taryuu raised both of his arms in the air, obnoxiously flexing his toned muscle, "I was too manly for the jacket, none of them fit,"

Kira rolled her eyes, knowing he was showing off for Botan yet again, "Are we ready to go now?"

"Don't be so impatient, Kira," Koenma warned as he approached the group, "This is an incredibly dangerous mission, there's a high chance some of you won't come back. They've had time to do training of their own as well,"

"And recruit as well," Botan added to the Reikai rulers statement with a pointed finger.

"We can handle it," Yusuke cut in suddenly, "Lets get moving,"

"There's a portal waiting for you outside," Koenma nodded grimly. This was it; the maiden voyage for his creations was about to set sail, and he would find out if the last 100 years was truly worth it, "Good luck,"

Botan held out two bags to Kanami and Kira, "I packed an extra dress for each of you for tomorrow and your.. Regular attire for afterwards. Kira, try not to ruin your dresses,"

Kanami swiftly grabbed her bag and headed out with the rest of the group, while Kira hesitated after taking her bag, her stomach twisting up in a nervous knot, "Thank you, for everything,"

Botan smiled, for once, almost serenely, nodding calmly at Kira, "You'll do great," She whispered as she hugged the tiny demoness, "Now hurry along before you get left behind," She laughed, her normal demeanor restored.

Kira nodded in return, grinning up at Botan, "See you later!" She turned on her heels and jogged off towards the rest of the group, her nerves slowly disappearing. She slowed down when she reached Hiei, who was trailing a few feet behind the rest.

"You look as if you've been domesticated, Mutt," Hiei said just loud enough to be heard with a smirk as he continued to look straight ahead.

"For now," Kira retorted with a small grin, "And as if you're one to throw stones," She did have to admit, the fire demon did look good in a suit; perhaps domestication suited them all well. Hiei didn't respond, she did have a point. Those in glass houses..

"Everyone ready?" Yusuke turned to the remainder of the group, a rare moment of seriousness coming over him. It was almost unsettling.

"I was born ready!" Both Kuwabara and Taryuu shouted out, before turning to each other and exchanging in childish celebration.

"I think Ryuu's found his soulmates," Kira sighed heavily, shaking her head at his ridiculous antics. It was pleasant to see Taryuu so.. happy, but she knew it was something that just wouldn't last. Yusuke and Kuwabara had their own lives in the Ningenkai, while he had his in the Reikai.

"It would appear that way," Kurama chuckled, shaking his head.

"Let's do this!"

* * *

 **I wanted to do a little light-hearted chapter before, pardon my french, shit hits the fan :P Be ready!**

 **-B.J.**


	19. Chapter 19: Card Reader Tales & Tongues

**Within the next few chapters (I think it should work out to be Chapter 23, maybe 24, as long as my mind doesn't fork in a different direction)** **Lone Wolf will be moving to an M Rating** **, so it will NO LONGER appear on the main default setting listings, if you haven't yet "Followed" it may disappear from your list unless you change your search settings! :)**

 **I'm sorry this chapter is like.. Twice as long as normal! I try to keep it between 1,500-2,000 words so you guys don't have to spend forever reading one chapter, and I actually cut quite a bit out of this chapter to make it shorter but it's still longer than usual :P Maybe the chapters will just start being longer, who knows!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Card Reader Tales and Tongues**

The inside of Kajino Roiyaruzu was dimly lit, with crimson walls decorated in all shades of gold, and massive crystal chandeliers hanging throughout the entire building. Barely clothed, beautiful women walked around the entire area, entertaining drunk men, human and demon alike, in exchange for large rolls of cash or sacks of gold coin. Partitioned booths with tables inside lined two of the walls, a bar lining the third and on the fourth was an entrance to the next adjoined room, where hundreds of game tables were spread out and dozens of bright, flashing slot machines rang out; beyond the gambling portion there was a pair of enormous, french glass doors on the other side of the casino which led out into the pearly-white marble foyer of the hotel. The air was thick with cigar smoke and above all else, it was incredibly loud.

"Why does anyone find this pleasant?!" Kirazuki shouted out to no one in particular as the group attempted to weave its way through the massive crowd of patrons to a secluded booth or table where they could await the arrival of their first informant, her ears folded back in an effort to block out some of the noise.

"Simple minds are amused by simple things," Hiei replied only a few feet ahead of her with a scowl, placing a hand on the shoulder of what appeared to be a troll and shoving him roughly out of the way.

Kira couldn't even see where they were headed as they made their way down the line of crowded booths, filled with all sorts of boisterous drunk beings clouding her senses; slowly but surely the space between her and the rest of the group grew larger as she tried to keep up with them; until she let out a panicked squeal as she was yanked to the side into one of the crowded booths, "Please tell me you work here, darlin'," A large brown-skinned demon grinned; clearly the one who had plucked her from the group. The entire booth was putrid with alcohol as their mindless laughter filled the small cramped space.

Her first instinct, of course, was to put him and everyone else in the booth through the wall, but Koenma's speech about no violence rang loud in her mind as she was jerked down onto the lap of the culprit, "No, I don't," She replied irritably, shoving herself up roughly and attempted to exit the confined space.

"Maybe you still wanna do some work?" The drunk demon grinned, reaching out a massive clawed hand for Kira's arm and yanking her back again.

'Screw Koenma's rules,' Kira thought to herself, quickly slipping her hand to the back of his shaven head, "No, I don't," She repeated through gritted teeth, slamming his head down onto the table with enough force to snap the thick, polished mahogany top and sending the dozens of half filled and empty, thick whiskey glasses shattering across the booth. Maybe he just had a hard head. She quickly slipped out of the area, ignoring the amazed occupants within it and scanning the crowd for the familiar faces of her comrades.

Shit. She was lost.

* * *

Kira searched for, what felt like, an entire hour (although in all reality, it was around 15 minutes), the sheer drunken shouts were beginning to overwhelm her senses once again, 'There has to be a bathroom or something around here..' She thought to herself grudging, sweeping the walls quickly with her mismatched eyes until they focused in on a doorway between the drinking and playing areas, 'Good enough for me,' She swiftly ducked into the room, leaning against the back of the door with her back to shut it with closed eyes as she exhaled a sigh of relief; the noise was almost instantly dulled, 'Thank goodness..'

"We have a taker," Came an unfamiliar, shaky voice from the shadows.

Kira's eyes flickered back to life, momentarily threatened by the stranger; but instead she was greeted with what looked like a very, very elderly woman sitting stoically at a round wooden table, dressed in a mess of tattered dark green robes, her wiry, short auburn hair poked up at all sorts of strange angles around her long, pointed, elfen ears and hauntingly silver eyes; her skin was like a pale grey-blue slab of leather stretched across her bony frame, and she had what looked like a faded white tattoo spanning across the bridge of her nose to her jawbones, "Who are you?"

The elderly woman smiled, patting the table top before her, "Come, come," She motioned with her other hand, "My name is Shizen, you need not worry, child,"

Kira cautiously pushed herself from the door, scanning the dark room for any signs of foul play; it seemed safe enough, truly there was really nothing but the old woman and her table, which she slowly took a seat at, " _What_ are you?"

Shizen smiled yet again, a kind, almost all-knowing smile that one would expect from a grandparent, "You needn't worry, girl," Kira narrowed her eyes to this repatitious statement, "I am a reader, one as you've never seen before,"

"And what's a reader?" She asked quickly, scanning the old woman as she reached for a deck of what looked like playing cards in the center of the table, grabbing them in her trembling hands and flipping them over before offering them out to Kira: they appeared to be completely bare.

"Come, place your hand here," Shizen insisted, motioning to her outstretched hand, "Let me show you," Kira did as she was told, outstretching a pale hand and placing it gently atop the deck of blank cards. The elderly woman placed her own calloused hand over Kira's for just a few moments, before withdrawing both hands and the deck and beginning to shuffle.

"What do you do?" Kira questioned, her shoulders relaxing slightly; she didn't appear to be any kind of threat, she could barely even sense any energy from her.

"I know your past, I know your present, and I know your future," Shizen smiled wisely as she explained, setting the deck face down in front of her when she had finished mixing them.

Kira tipped her head quizzically: Certainly that wasn't possible, "How?"

Shizen chuckled with a shake of her head, "How do demons wield the elements? How do some humans sense the dead? It is a gift, little one. You will see," She smiled mysteriously, drawing up the first card, which now, somehow, had a picture on it. The old woman set it down on the table before her, "You've led a life many would consider.. Tortuous," She paused momentarily with the smallest hint of a smile, moving the first card to the side, "But you don't view it as such. You believe these trials were.. Necessary," Kira briefly recalled Keiko's disdain for the actions of their upbringing: Perhaps the old woman was just a lucky guess.

Shizen drew up another card, this one, as well, already had a picture on it, Kira could vaguely make out what looked like some sort of blade with a bright white background behind it, "You dabble in the art of death," That wasn't a very difficult guess, they were in the Makai, it would be quite common, especially in Kajino Roiyaruzu, "But for the greater good, your business has purpose. You fight for what is right," She moved that card to the side as well, drawing up yet another; her elderly smile widened, "You have a vast appreciation for the world's beauty, yes?" Kira nodded to this; surely it wasn't a rare trait, "You are a child whose eyes have finally opened. You appreciate what so many take for granted because you see not with just your eyes, but your soul," She chuckled, shaking her head lightly. Shizen drew another card and her entire demeanor seemed to shift drastically; her vibrant silver eyes darkening as they narrowed and her "Beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing,"

Kira tipped her head to the side, her ears giving a small twitch; was she talking about her? No, she couldn't be. She was.. A wolf in wolf's clothing. The notion almost caused her to grin unceremoniously, "The what?"

"There's someone you must not trust," She warned ominously, raising a pointed finger, "This person masquerades behind a facade,"

"Who is it?" Kira asked cautiously.

Shizen chuckled with another small shake of her head, placing the card to the side with the others, "That, the cards cannot tell you or even I," She drew another card from the top of the deck, and again her entire demeanor had shifted: her haunting eyes widening as her trembling jaw fell open a fraction, "Never in my lifetime.." She murmured faintly, placing the card down on the table. To Kira, it simply looked like an image of winged men; she couldn't quite read the old womans expression. Shizen's eyes snapped up to meet her own, "The Archangels," She practically whispered, "Trust me when I say, I have never before you drawn them,"

"What are they?" She questioned, tipping her head to the side.

The old woman reached a tremoring hand forward, placing it on Kira's, who flinched involuntarily from the contact, "You are destined for great things in these worlds," She spoke with a small smile, but before Kira could press the topic, the door slammed open; she instinctively whipped around, accidently tipping her chair over as her hands glowed an icy blue - only to find two familiar figures standing in the doorway.

"What. Are you. Doing?" Hiei practically growled through gritted teeth, his fists balled in the pockets of his cloak; Kurama was standing at his side, looking equally as displeased.

Kira grinned sheepishly, the glimmer at her hands beginning to dissipate, "I got lost,"

"Our.. Meeting is here," Kurama spoke cryptically, casting a momentary glance towards Shizen in obvious mistrust.

Kira nodded to the pair, her grin falling from her face as she turned to face the elderly 'card reader', "Thank you," She said quickly before joining the demons at the door, "Let's go then,"

Kurama sighed as the trio began making their way through the crowded, noisy casino area of the complex, "How did you manage to get lost?"

"Well, first the crowd got in the way, then some drunkard thought I worked here, and then I was even more lost," She cringed at the unpleasant memory.

Both Hiei and Kurama seemed to instantly lighten in their moods, casting sideways glances at each other with mysterious matching smirks, "The oaf with his head through a table," The fire demon stated as they trailed through the massive glass doors into the hotels lobby.

"That would be the one,"

* * *

The group of 7 sat around a long, polished, deep mahogany table in matching black leather office chairs; the room was fairly empty, a vase of roses sat on a singular stand in the corner; there were no windows to speak of and the only entrance point to the entire room was a single doorway. At the head of their table sat their first informant, his pale green shoulders hunched nervously as his entirely black eyes darted from person to person.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us," Kurama spoke diplomatically from his seat, his hands folded disarmingly on the tabletop in front of him. The lizard-like demon nodded stiffly, waiting for him to continue, "I trust you're already well aware of why we're here?"

The informant nodded again, "Miss Tatsumi and Tobikuma," His voice quivered when he spoke.

"Do you know where they are?" Taryuu asked suddenly from where he was seated next to Kira, who kicked him hastily under the table. He was certainly not the best person to be questioning the nervous man before them; his sheer size would certainly be intimidating, and the poor demon was already clearly shaken.

"It is a cave," The informant answer cautiously, his brows furrowing, "We weren't permitted to know where," He added quickly, seeing the flicker of hope in Ryuu's eyes, "We were blindfolded before we got near," The dragon huffed loudly, folding his large arms over his broad chest; he knew it was a long shot, but he had to at least try.

"Can you tell us about any of their motives? Why they are doing this?" Kurama spoke in a characteristically calm tone, glancing momentarily in Ryuu's direction, his thoughts the same as Kira's.

The informant shook his head slowly, "They spoke of 'the others', they want 'the others', but I do not know who the others are,"

"The other abominations," Hiei confirmed with a snide smirk. Kira raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes and tipping her head slightly in his direction, obviously displeased with the phrasing; he simply returned the gesture in an unusually mock-manner.

"Do they have a psychic?" Kanami interupted the tense atmosphere, her fingers twisting in her lap; Kurama grasped his temples between his thumb and pointer finger; why couldn't they just leave the questioning to him?

The informant nodded once again, "I have never met him, but they've spoken of him often," He paused momentarily, his shoulders relaxing at last, "He stays far from them.. We aren't permitted to know much, only that their cause is just,"

Kurama cleared his throat to draw the reptiles attention back in his direction, "They've given away no vital information?"

"Liberation," The scrawny demon let out a strangled chuckle, "They always speak of liberation, they promise us liberation."

Kurama sighed as he leaned back in his chair, his emerald eyes closing. This information was nothing they couldn't have pieced together themselves, "I do have one more question I'd hope you'd have a sure answer to," He leaned forward again, "How many followers do they have?"

The informant, for the first time during the entire meeting, laughed, an almost eerily somber laugh, "This psychic takes the minds of lowly demons... They have hundreds, if not thousands,"

* * *

Kirazuki sat atop the roof of Kajino Roiyaruzu, her legs dangling precariously over the edge of the brick-walled building as her heels clicked rhythmically against it, watching the hollow, unfamiliar faces of the crowd entering and exiting below; her shoulders hunched as she fiddled mindlessly with the tiny stones on the necklace from Yukina. Their first informant was practically useless. Surely there were millions of caves in the Makai. And of course Tobi and Sumi wanted the others; they'd have an army never seen before. Did they want to seek vengence on the Reikai? Take control of the Makai? Obliterate the Ningenkai? Perhaps even all three? There had to be more to their scheme than just liberation for the others.

She sighed as she heard the rusted steel door to the roof creak open roughly, never looking away from the patrons on the ground, "Come to join one of the abominations?" She spoke bitterly, listening to the familiar footsteps tap their way across the thick cement roof. Instead of the rude, cocky reply she expected, there was a moist 'plop' on the ground behind her. Curiosity got the best of small demoness, turning to glance at whatever it was.

It appeared to be… A pile of bloody, severed tongues? Kira blinked in confusion, looking inquisitively towards the fire demon standing behind her, who looked quite pleased with himself, she could see various fresh blood stains on his white, collared dress shirt, although she wasn't sure where his coat or tie had disappeared to. She peered back at the sizable mound of body parts before the wires connected in her mind, "The oaf with his head through a table," She quoted him.

Hiei smirked in return, "And his moronic friends," Kira couldn't help the momentary laugh that escaped her, quickly covered her mouth in an attempt to contain the rest; he narrowed his crimson eyes, clearly growing defensive at her reaction, "What?"

"Is this your way of apologizing?" She asked through her laughter, and it was confirmed by the return of his signature smirk; it was.. Sweet. In some strange, twisted way, "I could've done that myself, you know,"

"But you wouldn't have," He sighed, seating himself next to the wolf on the high ledge.

"Because I listen when I'm told no violence," She replied casually.

"Is that why you put his head through a table?" Hiei retorted without missing a beat.

Kira opened her mouth to reply, but truly, she had nothing: he did have a point, "Fair enough,"

"Any particular reason you're on the roof?" He asked with a smirk, peering down at the stumbling crowd below.

"For one, I share a room with Kanami," She joked lightheartedly before confessing, "It felt… Unfitting to spend my first night in the Makai inside," She still felt restricted; the lights from Kajino Roiyaruzu and the surrounding buildings were so bright that they blocked out most of her sky view; it was better than inside, but she still wanted to run.

"Fair enough," Hiei leaned back to place his weight on his palms in a relaxed manner.

"Any particular reason _you're_ on the roof?" Kira asked, mimicking his motion as she tore her sight away from the ground.

"To apologize," He stated simply; 'abomination' _may_ be a tad harsh, even for him. He certainly knew what it was like to be considered one, considered something that went against the natural order of things, something that roused an unwarranted hatred. That, of course, wasn't something he would confide.

Kira shook her head, absentmindedly picking up one of the severed tongues between two of her fingers and holding it at eye level, "Such a strange body part.." She muttered to herself, releasing it into the crowd far below, "Thank you," She finally said, watching as the bloodied appendage hit a dwarf-looking demon directly on the top of his head, "I seem to thank you an awful lot,"

Hiei shrugged one of his shoulders casually as he peeked over the ledge to watch the panic that ensued over the renegade tongue, "Unnecessarily,"

"No, you've done.. _a lot_ for me," Kira said with a sudden force, "Everyone has, beyond simple comradery," She paused, fiddling idly with her bracelet Keiko had given her, "It's… Strange, how some.. Mismatched group can awaken everything you've always been made to keep in slumber,"

"Hn," The tone of his voice was an amused one, almost mixed with a chuckle, "They do seem to have an uncanny ability for that," Truth be told, he knew that exact feeling, although he wouldn't have worded it so eloquently.

"Sounds like you know the feeling.." At least she wasn't the only one. Taryuu had always been an outgoing, friendly individual, they simply enhanced this; she on the other hand had always had to live up to something, focus on being at the top and staying there, keeping control and order, she was never an equal like she was here. Hiei didn't respond, so Kira continued, "I don't find that fair,"

Hiei blinked, as if being stirred from a daze, "What?"

"You," She said pointedly, narrowing her eyes, "You get to poke around in my dreams, my memories, my thoughts; but you tell me nothing," She said matter of factly, crossing one of her legs over the other.

Hiei shook his head with a chuckle, "I'm not exactly the poster child for heart-to-hearts," He stated dismissively, "There's not much to know,"

"I don't believe that," Kira followed quickly, "Everyone's shared at least _one_ thing with me since I've been here.. Except Kuwabara, but he's been too busy following Yukina like a lost puppy," Hiei cringed involuntarily at the statement, "Like that. Something about Kuwabara and Yukina blatantly bothers you, but I have no idea what. It's like a puzzle,"

"Perseptive," Hiei gave a little nod, "It's nothing you _need_ to know," He replied in a calm, even tone, glancing towards the wolf from the corner of his eye.

Kira rolled her eyes with a huff, relaxing on her palms yet again, "I'm going to find all the pieces eventually," She laughed to herself, as if she'd just accepted some great challange, peeking up at what little she could see of the sky.

His eyes widened a fraction at this bold statement, before a smirk filtered it's way onto his face, "Good luck then," Maybe that wouldn't be such a terrible thing.

Kira smiled silently to herself as her mismatched eyes set on the two moons of the Makai, she was sure if it wasn't for Kajino Roiyaruzu, it would be a remarkable view. Her ears gave a small twitch as she heard an odd shuffle behind the pair, her head quickly snapping around to see what it was.

Oh, she wished she hadn't..

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for "Chapter 20: Kill Count"!**

 **\- B.J.**


	20. Chapter 20: Kill Count

**We are now 3 CHAPTERS AWAY from moving to an M RATING where 'Lone Wolf' will disappear from the default listings! :) You will have to change your search settings if you wish to find it!**

 **This chapter got like.. Super out of control on it's length but… I just.. Couldn't stop… Cheers for the 5th of November; Remember Remember! ;P**

 **Also a friendly reminder that I ADORE hearing from you guys! You keep me going! Reviews, PM's with Questions, Follows, whatever! Every time I get an email from Fanfiction I get all excited :P**

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* * *

 **Chapter 20: Kill Count**

Kirazuki and Hiei stood atop the roof of Kajino Roiyaruzu, and they were almost completely surrounded by a crowd of the same putrid, reptilian demons they had encountered at Genkai's, all moaning incoherently in a sea of sound, some were even still scaling the back of the building to access the roof; how they had snuck so silently behind them was a mystery. How did they know they were here? Unless they had been tracking the first informant.. So much for the element of surprise.

"You gunna call for backup?" Kira questioned through gritted teeth in the chilled night air, her ears folded back flushly with her curled hair, her eyes fixated as she tried to count rapidly in her head.

"No," Hiei smirked, unsheathing his glinting blade from his hip, "Are you worried?" He replied snidely.

Kira let out a little chuckle, pushing her hands out in front of her as the surface of the roof began to freeze, spreading out from under her like a wave, "Try not to slip," She stated sarcastically.

"I'll do my best," He chuckled as he disappeared into the hoard.

"Cocky bastard," Kira muttered to herself with a smile; she placed both of her hands out in front of her with her palms facing up as they began to glow that ominous blue again, one by one she twitched each of her fingers upwards, and one by one large, human-sized spikes of ice burst from the coating upon the roof, impaling mindless demon after demon. But she knew there were far too many for this technique, she didn't have enough fingers to handle it this way, and they were closing in on her. Maybe Hiei's idea was better.

Her arm began to glow, her sword of ice materialising around it as she flickered straight into the crowd; meticulously cutting away at the reptiles as she moved, paying extreme attention to avoid their mouth areas. Maybe a little too much attention.

Hiei appeared behind the wolf, simultaneously removing the head of demon she had missed who was coming a little too close for comfort. Kira grinned sheepishly as she shoved her weapon down the throat of an attacker, "Good looking out,"

The fire demon shook his head with a smirk, "Not on your part," He taunted, turning to her side and beheading another reptile.

"I'm sorry we all don't have an extra eye to keep watch," She retorted sarcastically as she danced around to Hiei's left and swiped her foot across the ground while raising her iced-arm, impaling the enemy through the chest.

"I suppose it's a good thing.." He paused as he drove his blade through an eye socket, pulling outwards until it sliced through the temple and connected with the neck of another, "That I do _for_ you," He shot back, before disappearing.

* * *

"I wonder how many there were…" Kira panted, watching as the ice upon the roof began to melt. It had to be hours since they were last inside, she was surprised no one had come looking for them; unless they were all asleep already. The cement top was littered with bodies and blood splatter slowly starting to mix in with the melting ice.

Hiei stood silently at her side, his hands in his pockets, before pointing to a small pile of corpses a few feet away from them, "There's 13," He said with a smirk.

As if reading his thoughts, Kira grinned, grabbing the back of the neck of a dead demon at her feet and dragging it into the same bunch he had just pointed towards, "14,"

One by one they worked away at piling up the deceased reptiles in silence until there was quite the sizeable mound, "What about appendages?" Kira asked, carrying a neatly stacked bundle of arms and legs.

Hiei shook his head as he threw another body into the growing pile, "Only torsos,"

Kira huffed as she dumped the arms unceremoniously, grasping another by the legs and heaving it, "83," She counted, before trailing off to retrieve another, "You know," She paused momentarily in thought as she swung one upon her shoulders and grabbed the leg of another, "Next time we should just count as we go,"

Hiei stopped from where he was tossing carelessly, raising a single eyebrow, "The next time we _happen_ to be attacked by a hoard of demons.."

Kira grinned in return, flinging the two bodies into the pile, "90," She breathed, "And yes," She breathed as she trailed off to retrieve more.

Hiei chuckled, shaking his head, "It's not exactly a common occurrence,"

"Twice in one month seems pretty common to me," She said with strain, picking up 3 corpses at the same time: one over her shoulders, and one leg in each hand. Hiei simply smirked, she did have a good point. Kira chucked one of the two on the ground into the pile and heaved the second off of her shoulders, "Exactly," She grinned, turning her back towards the fire demon and grabbing both of the corpse's legs, swinging it around towards the pile. Instead of the normal thump, she turned curiously as she heard an odd 'oomph', but her hands quickly darted up to cover her mouth as her jaw fell open, "I am so sorry,"

Hiei lay among the pile of bodies, having been hit squarely in the chest, and grunted as he roughly shoved the deceased body off of his torso, propping himself up on one elbow to glare at the small framed wolf who stood a few feet away from him.

Kira began to snicker from behind her hands, approaching the irritated fire demon and extending a helpful hand, "Didn't you just criticise me for not looking out?" She teased through her laughter. Hiei narrowed his crimson eyes, but reached his opposite hand up none-the-less in acceptance.

Kira yelped as she was roughly yanked down into the pile of of bloodied reptiles, face first, with the majority of her landing on the only warm-bodied demon in the heap; it was now Hiei who couldn't seem to contain his laughter, "Hiei!" She scolded in panic, quickly scrambling onto her hands and knees to keep as much of her dress clean as possible, "Botan told me not to ruin my dress!" The fire demon raised an eyebrow with a smirk as he observed her (already) blood covered dress from battle; Kira followed his vision before sighing heavily, her head dropping dramatically onto his chest, "I knew I'd ruin it.."

Hiei smirked, shaking his head at her antics as he closed his eyes, "Naturally,"

Kira's head snapped up, a dark, steady glare aimed at the fire demon, "Do you _want_ her to haul me off to Limbo?"

Hiei blinked a few times, quite taken aback for a moment by her sudden outburst. His brain tried to turn up some snide comment to combat her with, "No," Was all that came out like word-vomit, and he instantly regretted it seeing the look of surprise on the wolf's face, but it was quickly replaced with a wide grin which simply increased his regret, "Don't let it go to your head, Mutt," He muttered grudgingly, glaring off to the side.

Kira's grin quickly filtered to a smile, enjoying the rare moment of discomfort on the fire demons part, " _I_ think the _abomination_ is growing on you," She asserted with a certain sureness.

Hiei sighed as he peeked at the little ice demoness from the corner of his eye; it was true, he certainly let her get away with a hell of a lot more than anyone else ever would, especially for someone who had claimed he had a death wish within 20 minutes of meeting her; she consistently challenged him, not only in physical battle but also in his own boundaries and comfort zones. Maybe, after hundreds of years of partially self-inflicted solitude, it was finally time he started to entrust himself to someone other than, well, himself.. "She's my sister," He said suddenly before he could stop himself, another thing he instantly regretted saying.

Kira wrinkled her nose and tipped her head to the side, her smile dropping as her brow knitted in confusion, "What?" That was not the rude come-back she expected, or even the same topic, as she attempted to rake her brain for a meaning.

Hiei shook his head, his fists involuntarily clenching as he moved to push himself up; that sparse moment of openness certainly didn't last long, "Nevermind,"

"No," Kira spoke forcefully, placing both of her hands (and a majority of her body weight) on his torso; but her mismatched eyes suddenly widened with realization as she connected it the conversation from before the hoard, "You're the brother she's looking for…" It all made sense, and she could suddenly see them in one another, recalling how _his_ eyes were the first thing she had noticed about Yukina. Hiei narrowed his eyes as he pushed himself up again, wanting to escape the conversation, but she just pushed back, "No, you're _going_ talk to me. Why haven't you told _her_?" She asked irritably: the woman was on a wild goose chase for someone who was right in front of her this entire time, it didn't sit well.

Hiei stayed silent as he wrestled with his thoughts inwardly, there were really 3 options at the moment: Just tell her the truth; run, but risk her telling Yukina; or kill her. The latter seemed a tad extreme. He sighed in defeat, relaxing into the pile of corpses, but Kira still kept her weight on him to prevent his escape, "She… Deserves better,"

Kira's jaw fell open incredulously, "She _deserves_ to _know_ ," Her voice was laced with a strange combination of appall and sympathy, "She's looking for someone who's sitting right under her nose,"

"I spent the majority of my life as a bandit who killed for fun, and I'm now a convicted Reikai felon," He shot back stoically, narrowing his eyes again, "Yes, I'm sure she'd be so proud.."

Kira sat silently for a few minutes with her eyes narrowing in return, her brain chipping away at and processing the information presented to her; heavily debating her next course of action… She suddenly twisted her left hand into blood-stained shirt, jerking him upward roughly; Hiei, quite honestly, expected she was about to punch him in the face. But his eyes widened as she, instead, embraced him, and he froze, "You're _so_ wrong," Kira spoke sadly as she shook her head against the side of his before pulling away to look him in the eye, "But it's not my secret to tell…" She assured with a small smile.

Hiei sat entirely stunned and still, it wasn't often he was caught so off guard; but it also wasn't often he confessed parts of his past while sitting in a massive pile of corpses with a perplexing test-tube creature seated on him, either, "Thank you," He finally spoke with relief, his eyes darting to the ground like a guilty child.

"Thank _you_ ," Kira boldly placed an icy hand on the fire demons cheek, turning his entire head to force him to look in her direction, "That counts as your one thing," She spoke quietly, but there was an odd glint in her mismatched eyes.

Hiei _knew_ he was about to make another 'mistake' as he felt the cold send a chill down the back of his neck through his spine; for once, _he_ felt _almost_ vulnerable as Kira closed the space between the two, connecting their lips ever so softly. He pushed back with a sudden force that seemed to spin the roof of the building, inhaling the scent of fresh water and dried blood as his own heated hand found it's way to her frigid cheek, and he could feel the rhythmic patter of her heart against his chest. For a few short moments, the entire Makai seemed frozen in time, and there was only the collision of fire and ice, and it was as close to any other living being either had ever been.

Kira was the one to separate the two, lowering her forehead onto the bridge of Hiei's nose as both sets of shoulders rose and fell rapidly, both trying to find their way back to the ground, "96…" She spoke in the smallest of wavering whispers, her eyes still closed as she tried to fend off the fading vertigo.

"What?" Hiei questioned, his brows furrowing in confusion as his crimson eyes popped open.

"There's 96 dead bodies in this pile.." She said only slightly louder.

"Yes," Hiei chuckled, shaking his head with a ghost of a smile, "96."

* * *

"I don't understand this.." Kira groaned, placing her forehead on the coffee table in front of her with a sigh of defeat.

Yusuke sat across from her, and Kuwabara sat at the end of the low table, both grinning and snickering amongst themselves; Yusuke's hands were empty, while Kuwabara held a single playing card in his hand, "Looks like the dirty dog loses again," The Spirit Detective teased, noting Kira's hand full of cards.

Kurama laughed from where he was seated on the couch watching the quarrel, "To be fair, you two were fairly.. Vague with the rules,"

Hiei sat on the windowsill in the hotel room, a characteristic smirk upon his face while he listened to the banter. The group had spent the majority of the day in Yusuke, Taryuu and Kuwabara's room playing various card and tile games against each other until it was time for their meeting, Kurama had actually found it quite unusual that Hiei had willingly spent the day with them all. Kanami had already retreated back to the room she shared with Kira to get ready for the night; while Taryuu had trailed off somewhere in search of food.

Kuwabara grinned at the fox, "At least we didn't make bets,"

"Oh man," Yusuke laughed from next to him, "We could be rich by now!"

Kira glared at the pair, "I'm not that bad!"

"You haven't won a single game!" Yusuke burst into a snorting laughter, while the small ice demoness chucked her cards in his direction, "Oh c'mon, don't be a sore loser!"

"Kira," Kanami spoke softly from the door, dressed in a floor-length silver dress, her hair oddly well-mimicked to the previous day. She must have a photographic memory of some sort, Kira thought, "You should get ready now,"

Kurama nodded in obvious agreement to this statement, "Yes, we should begin our preparations as well,"

Kira sighed as she stood, ignoring Yusuke and Kuwabara's seemingly contagious laughter as she followed the meek psychic to their room, closing the door behind them. The hotel rooms were very… Posh. Decorated in the same manner as the rest of Kajino Roiyaruzu, with crimson walls trimmed in gold; a massive crystal chandelier hanging in the center of each room above a coffee table constructed of pure glass and several mahogany embellished pieces of furniture. Two bedrooms branched off from the sitting areas, as well as a single bathroom between them; if it had a small kitchenette it would almost be like a little apartment. She trailed her across the sparkling, white marble bathroom floor, where she plucked her now dry, once blood stained heels from the bath tub.

"You didn't come back last night," Kanami spoke from the door as Kira removed her normal baggy white t-shirt and black shorts casually.

"I don't like the indoors," It wasn't a complete lie at least, "Animal genes, I'm sure," Kira grinned as she reached in her small backpack by the sink, slightly curious what Botan's second dress choice was, but pulling out the second pair of underwear and bra the grim reaper had chosen.

Kanami smiled gently, but her eyes held a certain sadness, "I guess I wouldn't know the feeling…" Even though she had been raised with the others, who were all different to begin with, she had always somehow been the odd one out; she couldn't relate to any of them on that level.

"Can you help me?" Kira grumbled as she feebly chased the back clasp of her bra in circles like dog chasing it's tail. Kanami laughed at the sight, but helped her none-the-less, "You really aren't missing out on much, I promise," She offered as the psychic latched her bra, "Look at Taryuu, he get's positively _enraged_ at the drop of a hat. Dragon genes. It's actually a pretty flawed system for big bad super demons, crossing them with creatures," She added thoughtfully as she stood, holding up Botan's second pick: it was the same style as the last, but the silky fabric was white, and only the small cap-sleeves had an elegant black filigree on them.

Kanami giggled lightly, "I have noticed that,"

"With an animal spirit comes animal traits," Kira muttered as she tugged the thin piece of clothing onto her shoulders one by one. Kanami reached out, zipping the dress up the back, "Thank you," She sighed with relief, not wishing to chase the zipper around in circles. She glanced in the mirror briefly, her hair had completely lost it's curl from the previous day, "Like hair that won't stay.."

Kanami smiled gently as she picked up a brush, "Let me," She insisted, "I can at least fix it like mine,"

Kira breathed a second sigh of relief, positive she would be hopeless at the task, "Thank you once again,"

* * *

"You didn't return last night," Kurama spoke slyly from where he was buttoning his white dress shirt in front of the long, sleek body mirror, only the smallest hint of a smile playing at his lips.

Hiei raised an eyebrow, stopping the movement of his hands as he attempted to tie the black tie around his neck, "When do I ever stay inside?" He questioned rhetorically, getting quite agitated with the piece of fabric around his neck, ripping it from his collar and trying again.

"I'm just reminding you," The fox paused as he tipped his own collar up, lacing his tie under it and beginning to work away at it, "This isn't the time to become distracted,"

Hiei, once again, was clearly irritated by the persistence of the fox; this was the third time he'd been unnecessarily intrusive, "And I'll _remind_ you that I don't get distracted,"

"We aren't dealing with your average, everyday demons, Hiei," Kurama continued coldly, tightening his tie before laying his collar down over it, "Kira already tried to kill you once. The dragon and the psychic, as well as those we are pursuing, will likely all have the same kill switch should things get out of control. We are in the middle of a highly sensitive mission right now, with highly sensitive allies, and I apologize for the.. Less than fortunate timing of things, but they are essentially caged animals being released. They are all experiencing and experimenting with things for the first time,"

Hiei sighed as he finally managed to fasten his tie around his neck, before a scowl found it's way onto his face. She may have tried to kill him, but he handled it, and now he knew how: it was a pointless thing to add, "I don't know what you're getting at, fox, but-"

"You know exactly what I'm getting at, Hiei. Don't assume I'm blind," Kurama cut him off stoically as he lifted his jacket onto his shoulders, "If anything should happen, I _know_ the course of action we have to take," He paused as he finished buttoning his jacket before continuing, "And I would be able to carry that duty out if it came to it, but I don't believe the same could be said for you."

* * *

"Where the hell is this guy?" Yusuke groaned, tipping his head back impatiently against the booths wall where the group of 7 was currently awaiting.

"Right there," Kira replied in a flat tone, pointing to the large double doors between the casino and the hotel foyer: sure enough, the second informant had just entered, trailing his way up the stairs towards the conference rooms.

Yusuke blinked a few times in an attempt to gather his surprise; the wolf had a good eye, "Alright then, let's move.." The group of 7 quickly filed out of the booth, making their way through the crowd once again, "Hey Kira, try not to get lost," The Spirit Detective finished with a grin.

"Be quiet," Kira muttered irritably as they finally hit the massive doors, entering sparkling clean, white marble floored foyer.

"You made it!" Yusuke continued to tease, ignoring the wolf's protest as they made their way to the elevator.

Kira grinned slyly as the elevator doors whizzed shut, Kurama pushing a button to bring them to the top floor where the conference rooms were, "I don't think Keiko would be very happy with your attitude…"

Taryuu burst into laughter as the elevator jerked, beginning its upward journey, "Now that's worse than Tobi and Sumi," He joked, as Yusuke screamed incoherent apologies and protests at the ice demoness.

Kurama cleared his throat, obvious addressing the rowdy parts of the group, "It's time," He spoke darkly as the elevator doors whizzed open again, revealing the same hallway they had been in the previous night.

"Hopefully he's not as useless as the last," Kira muttered as they walked the dim hall to the same door they'd used yesterday. Kurama knocked gently at the thick mahogany, waiting patiently for it to creak open just a crack.

"We're from the Reikai," The fox spoke kindly with a smile. The demon at the other side of the door hesitated, before slowly opening and allowed them entrance into the room. The 7 sat in the exact seats they had the previous day, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us," Kurama mimicked his past speech.

"Thank _you_ , for meeting me," The second informant smiled. He was far less on-edge than the first.

"Our first question-"

"Do I know where they are?" The reptile continued to smile, a sly tone in his voice, "I don't know exact locations, but I know it's a large cave north-west of here. Underground, if I'm not mistaken,"

Kira tipped her head curiously; perhaps the first informant had known he was being tailed after all, and that had been why he was significantly more nervous than this one. Kurama blinked a few times to regain his composure, "Do you know what their motivations are? Our first informant told us they wish for liberations, and 'the others'," He explained calmly.

The second informant nodded gently, "Yes, they want 'the others' to be liberated, they want revenge of some sort, and they whisper quite often of Alpha when they speak of them, I am unsure who or what Alpha is,"

"Kira.." Yusuke spoke through gritted teeth, his chocolate eyes darting towards the wolf.

"They can't control the others without their leader," Kira finished thoughtfully; her mind vividly recalling her nightmares she had, what seemed like, long ago; where she had joined with the pair in slaying her comrades… That wouldn't happen.

"How do they plan on that?" Taryuu's voice almost held offense as he scoffed, "She won't leave…"

"Unless they just plan to kill me in order to dethrone me," Kira grinned, this would be a welcomed challenge; there was no way they could manage that. Their plan seemed all too flawed.

"No," Kurama interjected, "If they were to kill you, that would just put Taryuu into your position and they'd be in the same spot as before; most of the others seemed to carry ties of loyalty, it would serve only to cause an uprising _against_ them,"

"So they just want her on their side then.." Yusuke confirmed.

"Perhaps they plan to use the psychic?" Kurama offered darkly.

"I'm too strong for a psychic," Kira sighed, leaning back in her chair as she folded her arms behind her head casually, "Best of luck to them,"

"Do you know anything _of_ this psychic?" Kanami added to the conversation suddenly as she addressed the reptile, leaning forward in her seat.

"Not very much," The second informant frowned, "He stays very far, I think they wish to conceal his identity," He paused, his long tail giving a gentle swish through the air, "He is strong, perhaps even unrivaled in his abilities; I have witnessed, from afar, him take the minds of hundreds of demons at a time-"

"Were you at the temple in the Ningenkai?" Kurama interrupted.

The second informant nodded slowly, "I was sent strictly to observe all of your abilities, gather information on your fighting styles; so I apologize in advance that they are already aware,"

"Well that's embarrassing," Kira muttered under her breath, glaring at the table. That definitely wasn't up there in her top 10 best performances, whatsoever.

The reptile chuckled gently, "Master and Mistress were none too pleased with your injuries. I can assume, then, you are who they referred to as Alpha?" Kira nodded firmly to this statement.

"So they do want her alive…" Kuwabara muttered, his fists clenching with anger. Taryuu had to be right, there was no way she'd join them willingly. So how did they plan on taking her?

"I thank you for being so.. Open with us," Kurama smiled kindly, "Is there anything else you can tell us we may need to know?"

"They are ready for you," The second informant warned darkly, "They already know you are here, and they are already waiting with an army…" He paused, standing from his seat as he looked directly at Kira, "And they will stop at nothing to get their hands on Alpha,"

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for Lone Wolf 'Chapter 21: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'!**

 **I must say I am VERY excited for the next chapter! It's already half done!**

 **-B.J.**


	21. Chapter 21: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**We are now 2 CHAPTERS AWAY FROM AN M RATING. Lone Wolf will be disappearing from the default listings! Don't forget if you have not followed you will need to change your search settings to find it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing**

" _Kira, wait!" Kurama took off sprinting down the dimly lit hallway in pursuit of the fleeing wolf, who had already disappeared from sight completely. He knew she would be heading to the outside as he practically slid into the elevator, pressing the button to the top floor feverishly, over and over again in hopes of speeding up the process. He_ _ **needed**_ _to get to her before she had the chance to really run._

 _The doors whizzed closed and he waited anxiously as the elevator jerked upwards, taking only around 15 seconds to come to a halting stop. As soon as the doors reopened, Kurama ran down a second hallway, seeing the gate which lead to the roof exit: it didn't even look as if it had been opened. He silently prayed to himself she was up there._

 _He flinched slightly as the rusted steel door creaked open slowly, peeking his head through the opening before breathing a sigh of relief. Kirazuki stood upon the very edge of the roof, her shoulders rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath, her head was tipped back slightly as she stared at the two moons of the Makai, "Kira!" Kurama called out, coming all the way out of the hotel and beginning to approach the wolf with caution, "Kira, listen to me…" He attempted to sound as calm and soothing as possible as he walked up behind her, "I know what you're feeling right now-"_

" _Well I_ _ **don't**_ _!" Kira screamed back as she spun to face him, accidently freezing over a portion of the roof; her mismatched eyes widened in surprise at the outburst of ice; she held both of her hands out in front of her to signal for him to stay back, "_ _ **I**_ _don't know what this is.." She paused, placing one of her hands on her sternum to steady her breathing and lifting her eyes to Kurama's, "I just need to be by myself,"_

" _Kira… It's not safe for you to be on your own right now," He argued as he attempted to verbally subdue her, holding her vision firmly, "Please, just come back inside-"_

" _I can't!" She yelled again, her anger soaring; just as last time, the ice flared out upon the roof, feeding off of her emotion, she almost recoiled from it, she needed to get herself under control, "I'll be back, just.. Please, stay away," She pleaded, quickly turning around and jumping from the roof._

" _Kira, wait!" Kurama shouted, running to the edge of the roof. But she was already long gone._

* * *

Kurama sat hunched over upon the burgundy floral couch within the room he and Hiei shared, his head heavy as he cradled it in his hands, replaying the last several hours over and over again in his mind. How did things go so wrong, so fast? Perhaps he could blame Hiei; perhaps he could blame Kira; or perhaps he could blame himself in some part for scrutinizing Hiei about the wolf.

No matter who was to blame, or if anyone was to blame, Kira was missing in action, and there was army laying in wait to exploit her power. His emerald eyes glanced up at the massive Grandfather clock in the room: 7:48 AM.

With a heavy sigh the fox placed his hands upon his knees, pushing himself out of his seat; it was time to wake Yusuke, Kuwabara and Taryuu: they needed to know what had happened, and Kurama wasn't looking forward to explaining.

* * *

" _Alright, so now what?" Yusuke asked mindlessly, leaning back in his office chair as he folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. Their second informant had just left, and it was 9:25PM, and they had absolutely nothing to do but wait until tomorrow._

" _We'll set off to the North-West in the morning," Kurama stated decisively, "I guess that's really our only course of action from here,"_

" _Well yeah, but what do we do **until** then?" The Spirit Detective grinned, "You know, before we march off to our death?"_

 _Simultaneously Kira, Taryuu and Kuwabara returned his mischievous grin, picking up on his subtle hints, "I mean, there is a bar downstairs.." The dragon said slyly._

 _Kurama sighed, shaking his head, "I don't know if that's-"_

" _Come now fox," Kira cut him off quickly as she sprung up from her seat, "You heard the Detective, marching off to our_ _ **death**_ _."_

" _Might as well have some fun first!" Yusuke shouted, slapping a hand down on Taryuu's massive shoulder._

 _Kurama sighed, exchanging a weary glance with Hiei, who simply smirked and shrugged a shoulder casually as they watched the 4 hastily exiting the conference room._

* * *

Kurama trailed down the dimly lit hallway, pausing at the door to Kira and Kanami's room; the key to their room still sitting on the floor exactly where it had been dropped, the carpet damp from melted ice. His fox side wanted to pick up the key and open the door, see what was behind it; but his rational side refused that curiosity, pushing him to continue his walk to the trios door. He had more important things to do than satisfy his fox side. He knocked gently at the dark wood, though he was positive none of them would be awake.

"No thanks!" Came the Spirit Detective's voice, muffled by, what he would assume, was a pillow; Yusuke must have thought he was the maid.

"Yusuke, it's me," Kurama tapped at the door again, "Something's happened…"

* * *

" _What do you know about card readers?" Kira questioned randomly over the pounding music as she swirled her tiny red straw around mindlessly with her tongue; Yusuke had ordered a drink for her, and he was completely right when he said she'd like it. She could barely taste the alcohol; although that was certainly a poor combination._

 _Kurama tilted his head curiously as he leaned back against the sturdy booth they were seated in, "Why do you ask?"_

" _That old woman from yesterday.. She said she was a card reader," The wolf explained, following a particularly drunk, stumbling man with narrowed eyes as he bumped into Taryuu who was standing outside of the booth with Yusuke and Kuwabara; she silently hoped he didn't lose his temper._

" _Most of them are simple con-artists I'm afraid," He chuckled in response with a sympathetic smile, "They read certain social cues, or make broad, sweeping statements that your own mind automatically connects with things that apply to you,"_

 _Kira sighed as she mimicked his posture, her drink dangling from one of her hands, "She seemed accurate enough, even surprised by some of the cards she drew,"_

" _Like what?" Kurama questioned; normally he would dismiss such claims, he was more of a logical thinker, but perhaps the alcohol was sparking his fox-like curiosity._

" _She used the terms.. Archangels, and The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.." Kira elaborated, closing her mismatched eyes when the room gave a little spin, "Destined to bring great things, and a traitor in my midst…"_

 _Kurama smiled as he shook his head, "I'm not too sure about the Archangels, but logically, it would be impossible for anyone to go through life without being betrayed by someone they trust; you could probably assume it a 'broad, sweeping statement'."_

" _Hopefully…"_

* * *

Kirazuki stood upon the cliff's ledge, watching the Makai sun rise spectacularly into the sky for the very first time, the smallest of smiles on her face as her eyes traced the vibrant array of oranges, bleeding into reds and pinks before spiraling into purple above the forested tree peaks: It was breathtaking, and it calmed her animalistic soul as the warm breeze caressed her cold skin and swept her hair across her back. She decided at that exact moment: someday, somehow, this would be her home. Her skin bristled as she inhaled the fresh morning air peacefully, but it was soon replaced with that sinking feeling in her stomach once again.

She knew she needed to head back to Kajino Roiyaruzu soon; they were supposed to start looking for Tobikuma and Tatsumi's den just about now. The thought of going back was unsettling, embarrassing even, after the scene she had made over nothing.

' _It wasn't over nothing,'_ Whispered the tiny voice in her head.

But she knew deep down it was. She was acting childish, she knew that much: She had been promised nothing and it was clear that it was all in her head (although she wasn't quite sure what that was, either) yet she had thrown a tantrum like a toddler who had been told 'no'.

"They'll live for a few more hours…" Kira rationalized softly with herself as her smile returned. Yes, just a few more hours was what she needed. Her mismatched eyes peeked down the cliff one last time before she jumped.

* * *

"Wait…" Yusuke's voice cracked slightly as he spoke, a look of complete baffle upon his face, "Kira.. and… _Hiei_?"

"Oh man…" Kuwabara began to guffaw uncontrollably, "Shorty finally has a girlfriend!" He spoke through his uncontainable laughter with a grin, "Well, almost, but whatever,"

Taryuu's eye twitched in a strange combination of irritation and confusion, "That explains.. Why she shot me the first time I tried to pummel him…"

Yusuke sweatdropped, the same look still plastered on his face, "That was… So wait….What?"

Kurama sighed as he massaged his temples; there was no way he could explain what had happened without telling them this information first, but he instantly regretted it; Hiei was certainly not the type to put his.. Personal matters on display for the entire world to see: and he had just told everyone, "Well.. That leads me to my next point…" He spoke cautiously, "Kira's missing,"

"What do you mean she's missing!?" The trio boomed in perfect unison, leaping from where they were seated.

* * *

" _You.. Are literally the nicest person I have ever met. Eeeeevery single time we drink, there's Kurama, being nice and stuff," Kira rambled in a haze as she was ushered into a brightly lit elevator by Kurama, who had made the decision that she was done for the night, "Where did you learn that?" She demanded, leaning against the golden support bar at the side of the small cubicle._

 _Kurama sweatdropped as he pressed the button to the level their rooms were on, "I suppose it's been an acquired trait,"_

" _Because you're so old," Kira nodded, gasping as the elevator jerked upward and her stomach lurched, 'Please don't puke, please don't puke…' She thought to herself as she slid down into a seated position on the floor. Elevators and alcohol were not friends with each other._

 _Kurama chuckled, "Yes, I suppose that plays a part in it…" He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt; she thought he was so kind, yet his conversation with the fire demon just hours before certainly didn't qualify as anything of the sort. But to him, it was necessary: they had no room for error in this mission._

 _The elevator came to another halt at their floor, and Kurama couldn't help but wince as Kira gagged at the motion, he was really, really hoping she didn't vomit on him. She wasn't horrendously drunk, but it clearly wasn't mixing with her nerves tonight. He knelt down next to the wolf and gingerly tucked her arm over his shoulders before lifting her up into a standing position, "Let's get you to bed,"_

" _I can walk on my own, you know," Kira sighed, but she didn't resist the help, it did make her feel significantly less queasy._

 _Kurama chuckled as they trailed down the hallway, "Yes, but I do want to make sure you actually make it to your room tonight," He said as he halted outside she and Kanami's door, "Key?" He spoke, hoping deeply that she hadn't lost it._

" _Botan taught me this," Kira stated proudly, reaching her hand that was not around Kurama's shoulders through the neck of her dress and into her bra; the fox couldn't help but sweatdrop and sigh as she produced the key to the room, shakily inserting it into the lock and twisting it clumsily before removing it again, "Thank you, fox," She smiled as she finally opened the door._

 _But what was revealed behind that door caused her stomach to drop, as the key tinked uselessly to the already frozen floor._

 _She certainly sobered up fast._

* * *

"You've done so well, child," A man's voice spoke almost in a coo from the shadow of an old, tall tree, "It looks like your double life is finally over, and you may breath a sigh of relief. Rest your head easy knowing you played the most intricate role in our liberation, everything will be in your thanks,"

Kanami stood in a small clearing, nervously twisting her hands into the front of her elegant silver dress as her crystal eyes peered into the looming tree, "Master…" Her voice was laced with worry as her heel dug into the soft ground behind her, "How do you plan to find her..? She's run off.. And she has that necklace..."

There was a large, howling gust of wind mixed with an unusually flapping, and before the meek psychic stood a muscular, avian-like man: Tobikuma.. "Your Mistress has already taken it upon herself to keep an eye on the little wolf. She's been watching you all for some time.. Again, all thanks to you," He spoke with a confident smirk upon his face.

"Master.. I truly don't feel she will join with us.. She's grown very attached the Spirit Detective and his friends.. She doesn't see what we see, she doesn't share our vision..." Kanami confessed anxiously, "She sees no wrong in the Reikai's ways,"

"Dear, dear, gifted one…" Tobikuma smiled as he approached her, placing two large, calloused hands upon her reddening cheeks, "You underestimate the gravity of what you've done for us. You've left her alone and susceptible. You've already placed the wedge between them, and we simply need to hammer it in. Now, let us go collect the fruit of your labor,"

* * *

 _Kurama's emerald eyes widened as the deep mahogany door swung open; the room was dark, but not dark enough to conceal what was within._

 _Although they could only see the back of the couch, they could also see what was undeniably the outline of Hiei's hair poking above the couch, clearly from a seated position. But as the key clinked deafly to the ground, the dark also couldn't hide the shine that the hallway light reflected upon long, wavy white-blue hair, perched atop the fire demons lap with her face buried in the crook of his neck. They had definitely just interrupted something.._

 _The fox quickly snapped back to reality, making a desperate grab for Kira knowing she would try to run._

 _But he was too late, she had already disappeared, "Kira, wait!"_

* * *

"I'll rip his **damned** head off!" Taryuu's voice boomed through the enclosed hotel room as he stood from the couch, taking large, lumbering steps towards the door.

"Hey hey hey big guy," Yusuke scrambled to his feet and grabbed the dragons arm, but it was promptly ripped from his grip, "You can't just-"

"No!" Taryuu turned around with a growl, his tail crashing into a small end table by the wall and shattering as he did so, "He might be your friend, but she's like my sister and this is **his** damn fault! If anything happens to her..." He shouted, spinning back around and practically ripping the door off of it's hinges as he entered the hallway, Kuwabara and Yusuke both attempted to subdue him, while Kurama simply trailed behind the 3 in silent observation. The dragon began to pound on the door which formerly belonged to Kira and Kanami, "Open up!" He screamed, but received no response.

"Knock it off!" Yusuke shouted in anger as he tried to get in the way, but Taryuu simply pushed him as he stepped backwards, delivered a massive kick to the center of the door and causing it to fly from it's hinges, entering the room.

Kurama peeked into the still-dark room, noticing that not only was Hiei not even remotely stirred by the commotion, but he was slumped in the exact same spot as he had been last night. And Kanami appeared to be.. Well, gone. He observed in silence as the dragon began shouting at his motionless figure, getting increasingly frustrated by the fire demons inactivity. Taryuu stormed around to the front of the couch, plucking up a limp Hiei by the front of his shirt and cocking a clenched fist back. Why wasn't he waking up? Hiei was normally stirred awake by even the smallest of sounds, let alone a dragon storming him. His eyes suddenly widened, "Wait!"

Ryuu halted in his tracks, glancing curiously towards the sudden interjection from the fox, "What?" He spoke in a low growl, his tense muscles relaxing a small amount.

Kurama rushed around to the front of the couch, placing a gentle hand on the dragon's large arm, "Something isn't right. Please, put him down," He instructed firmly; Taryuu hesitated, his deep blue eyes burning into emerald orbs before he sighed, roughly dropping the fire demon back onto the couch. Kurama knelt down in front of him, placing two fingers against his neck: he definitely still had a heartbeat.. He gently tapped his hand against Hiei's warm cheek, but he received nothing. Yes, something was definitely wrong…

The fox gently reached forward with both of his hands, tucking each of his thumbs underneath the thin white fabric at Hiei's temples; but his eyes widened once again when he lifted it to reveal that his Jagan appeared to be almost _stuck_ open. He cautiously reached a hand forward towards it, but around an inch from the eye several sparks danced from it, electrifying Kurama's fingers as he quickly jerked it away. It was a seal...

"Kurama…" Yusuke spoke in a wavering voice with widened chocolate eyes, "What's going on..?"

"I'm afraid…" Kurama paused as he placed a hand on his forehead as his brain worked away at what was going on; he certainly didn't want to start making accusations before he knew without a shadow of a doubt what was happening, "Kuwabara," He beckoned to their orange-haired comrade, waving him over.

Kuwabara blinked a few times before cautiously approaching, "Yeah..?"

"I need you to produce your Spirit Sword.." He lifted his hand back up, pointing it directly at Hiei's widened Jagan, "Right here.."

"What!?" Kuwabara and Yusuke shouted out simultaneously in surprise, looking back and forth between each other. Taryuu was still brooding silently to himself.

"There's a seal attached around it right now," Kurama attempted to explain, although he was growing a tad frustrated, time was precious right now, and he needed Hiei conscious to confirm his suspicions, "Something, or someone, is.. Keeping him asleep, so to speak.. We need to break it," He asserted firmly.

Kuwabara began mumbling incoherently as he stood in front of Hiei, "This is a bad idea…" He spoke wearily; sure, he and Hiei didn't see eye to eye on.. Anything, but he still didn't want to do this. What if he ended up stabbing his weird third eye?

"If I'm not mistaken," Kurama began to elaborate, "Your Spirit Sword should sort of.. Short out the seal,"

Kuwabara held his hand out, his fist clenched about a foot away from Hiei's Jagan, "If somethin' goes wrong, this wasn't my idea," He asserted in a grumble before taking a deep breath to steady himself, grabbing his wrist with his free hand, " _Spirit_ _Sword_!"

As the glow of orange energy shot from Kuwabara's hand it collided with the same blue sparks that had danced across Kurama's; he almost withdrew his Sword from the deafening crackling that began to echo around the room, "Keep it steady!" Kurama commanded; Kuwabara gritted his teeth together and continued to push, squinting his eyes into the brightening light.

There was a final, extra loud 'crack', and a boom of light, before it all disappeared.

"What the hell happened?!" Yusuke shouted, Kuwabara was sitting on the floor rubbing his head, and the spirit detective promptly knelt down next to him to check for injury.

Kurama leaned closer to Hiei, gently beginning to tap on his cheek, "Hiei…" He spoke quietly, not wanting to startle him. The fire demons crimson eyes shot open as he snatched Kurama hand from the air, but soon recoiled his hand onto his own forehead, groaning in pain as he hunched over on the couch, "Hiei, I need you to listen to me," He said firmly, placing both of his hands on Hiei's shoulders; his eyes snapped up to the fox, "I need to know the last thing you remember happening from last night,"

* * *

 _Kurama sighed, exchanging a weary glance with Hiei, who simply smirked and shrugged a shoulder casually as they watched Yusuke, Kuwabara, Taryuu and Kira hastily exit the conference room, "I suppose I'll be playing babysitter to them tonight," Kurama joked lamely as he stood, making his way out the door._

 _Hiei shook his head as he stood as well, "Better you than me," He said to no one in particular, trailing behind the fox quite a few yards as he left the room, he could faintly hear the psychics light footsteps somewhere in his wake as he watched Kira practically swing herself around the corner as she chatted animatedly with Yusuke._

" _I am so sorry.." He heard a small voice whisper from directly behind him, causing him to whip around in surprise; but Kanami stood only a few inches away from him, her hand up in front of her, it just so happened to land directly in line with his Jagan._

 _He tried to step away, he meant to scold her for following to closely, but quickly found he could do neither, "I'm sorry, but I need you," She said sympathetically as grey began to cloud his peripheral vision, and he was soon claimed by unconsciousness._

* * *

Kurama sighed and placed his hand on his forehead as he sat back on the floor, shaking his head: he hated being right so often… "What the hell is going on?" Hiei spat as he looked around the room, still clenching his own forehead; Kuwabara was still on the floor with Yusuke, and Taryuu still glaring at him; he was fairly clueless as to where Kira and the psychic were, or why everyone looked so grim, or why the dragon seemed to dislike like more than usual at the moment.

"Kanami has deceived us all," Kurama said slowly, he was positive of it now, "Hiei, she put a seal on your Jagan that kept you out long enough for this all to transpire.. When Kira and I returned here last night.. Well, Kira's gone," He was struggling with how to explain the situation without giving away the fact he had already explained everything to everyone else.

"What do you mean she's ' _gone'_?" Hiei snapped as he stood, but quickly winced as the sudden movement caused a shooting pain through his skull.

Kurama quickly motioned for the trio to leave the room, and they did so quickly (although Taryuu stopped before he lamely set the door back against the door frame to stare Hiei down), he sighed as he stood as well, casting quite the cold look in his direction, "I **warned** you this was dangerous game, I warned you they were all unstable, they don't have an understanding of what they feel," He said sternly, "Last night when Kira and I walked back here, the psychic had you knocked out on the couch, sitting on your lap. But I suppose you can venture a guess what she wanted that to look like from our point of view," He paused in his lecture only momentarily, "Kira took off, honestly I'm surprised she kept herself under control enough not to kill someone, the ice was feeding off of her emotion, and because of that collar we have no way to track her, for all we know she could already by with Tobikuma and Tatsumi,"

Hiei's blood began to boil, towards that damned psychic for not only knocking him out, but daring to even lay a finger on him, but the fox as well, "Then why aren't we looking for her?" He knew something so petty wouldn't just cause her to abandon her loyalty to their group; loyalty was in her nature, it was part of who she was. He also knew this would be a moment where she would grin, twitch her ears a few times, and say 'Wolf genes, remember?' But he quickly shook the thought from his head.

"We have no way of knowing where she's gone," Kurama tried to reason, following the agitated fire demon as he walked towards the broken door, but when he tucked his fingers against its seam and pulled, Yusuke and Kuwabara fell clumsily into the room on top of the mangled door, having been eavesdropping on the other side of it. Taryuu stood leaning against the wall, a scowl on his face: clearly still angry.

Hiei's eye twitched in annoyance at the nosey humans, "Rivers, lakes, and cliff sides: it's not that hard to figure out." He practically snarled, before completely disappearing to conduct his own search.

Kurama sighed once again, looking towards the trio, "You three should stick together, Hiei and I know these lands, you could easily become lost." He explained as Kuwabara and Yusuke untangled from each other.

"What are we doing now?" Yusuke asked seriously, looking the fox dead in the eye. He wanted to find Kira just as bad as any of them (not to mention Keiko would probably kill him if anything happened to her).

Kurama sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, beginning to trail off down the hallway, "Remember: Rivers, lakes, cliffsides, basically anywhere with a view… I guess we're going on a little hunt.."

* * *

Hiei jumped in flashes from tree to tree, scanning the area with his Jagan, growing heavily frustrated with that damned contraption from the Reikai. He knew Kira could more than take care of herself, he also knew she wouldn't join forces with the pair; what he didn't know was why he gave such a damn she was gone if he knew these things.

' _Where are you, you foolish Mutt…_ ' He thought to himself as he halted to a stop on the edge of a cliff, narrowing his eyes into the distance. He could faintly see something black on the ground below, and quickly lept from the ledge. He couldn't help but smirk when he reached the bottom, picking up the silver to black faded heel on the ground.

' _Barefoot.. Of course_ ,' He shook his head, dropping the shoe back into the grass and disappearing again. At least he knew he was on the right trail.

* * *

Kirazuki sighed lazily to herself from where she lay on her stomach in the sandy river bank, rhythmically dipping her finger tips in and out of the flowing water and freezing over small, stone-sized chunks of water as she did so. She listened to the little jingle of Keiko's charm bracelet against her wrist; it was slightly comforting, but she was beginning to grow restless, she really did need to head back soon.

She tipped her head to the side and laid it onto her arm, swinging her legs back and forth as her other hand mindlessly played with Yukina's necklace, poking the tiny gems into the sand and yanking them back out by the chain. She smiled to herself as she thought of the kind little ice maiden, but scowled as her mind traveled to 'the twin'.

' _That's not fair_ ,' She scolded herself mentally for the scowl, ' _Stop acting like a pouting child over nothing,_ ' But it wasn't nothing to her. That feeling she got when they opened that door was the same feeling as when she realized it was _Keiko's_ arm she had dislocated, she just didn't know how to put whatever that was into words, or how the two incidents caused the same reaction. Kira groaned as she rolled her forehead onto her arm so her face was towards the ground; emotions were complicated, and things were easier when she was just an Alpha in the Reikai and all she needed to worry about was who's ass she was kicking that day and why the food was so bad, "Just go _baaaack_ ," She tried to convince herself, but the sun was just so toasty here..

Her ears gave a small twitch as she heard a rustle coming from the treeline, her head perked up, but she quickly deduced it wasn't a threat, resuming her finger-dipping. There was another, louder rustle now, but she still didn't move.

"Kira!"

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for Lone Wolf 'Chapter 22: Fight or Flight'!**

 **-B.J.**


	22. Chapter 22: Fight or Flight

**SOUND THE ALARM! Warning! This is the last time 'Lone Wolf' will appear under the default setting listings! This will take place in 1 to 4 days because the chapter is already half done! Poof! Disappeared! We are moving to an M RATING come Chapter 23!**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Fight or Flight.**

"Kira!"

"Hello again, fox," Kirazuki said airily from where she lay on her stomach at the side of the riverbank, dipping her fingers in and out of the river over and over, freezing tiny, stone sized pieces of the flowing current, "I was going to come back soon, I promise."

"Kira," Kurama repeated as he trailed to her side, reaching out mentally and hoping that Hiei could hear him, ' _I found her. She's by the Sorairo River_.' He cautiously knelt down in the sand and placed a gentle hand between her shoulder blades, "We need to go, now…" He explained calmly, hoping she had cooled off some since the last time he'd seen her on the roof, "It wasn't Hiei. It was all a set up,"

Kira's ears perked curiously to this statement, "What was a setup?" She questioned as she placed her hands in the damp sand, pushing herself upwards and sitting on the ground, her heels had been long abandoned, and her once white dress had sand stuck to the front of it. Another one ruined, Botan was going to kill her.

Kurama stood, offering a hand to the wolf before him, "The old woman was right. Kanami is the wolf in sheep's clothing," He tried to explain the best he could, "If my speculations are correct, she's been masquerading as our ally this entire time, intentionally weakening herself as to avoid any suspicion. It explains how they found us at Genkai's and you and Hiei upon the roof… And why she was so quick to ask the informants about the psychic; she wanted to know if they knew anything about her," Kira cautiously placed her cold hand in his and he tugged her upwards, "She needed to separate you from the rest of us to open a window for the other two; she learned you run when your distressed so.. She put you in distress,"

Kira narrowed her eyes as she firmly held his gaze, searching his emerald eyes for even the smallest flicker of a lie; but her face suddenly broke out in a smile, a melodious laugh coming from her chest; Kurama couldn't help but sweatdrop at the sudden outburst, "That tricky little bitch," She said between her laughter, shaking her head, "At least she's an excellent liar, there's one thing she's good at,"

' _Get her out of there now, they're coming_ ,' Kurama heard the fire demon echo in his head, his eyes widened significantly as he hastily snatched Kira's hand in his own, tugging her along the side of the river, "They know where we are," He spoke as panic set in, there were only 2 of them, and Kanami would have likely already joined up with the others, so they were already outgunned, especially if Kanami took over more of those reptiles.

"How do you know?" Kira asked quickly, following him none-the-less as he dashed into the treeline for cover.

Kurama visually scanned the forest, 'they're coming' was far too vague, he could end up leading the pair straight into them, "Hiei's been searching for you as well, although that Reikai collar certainly does a fantastic job at masking your trace," He grunted in frustration as he clenched his fist, having absolutely no idea which way to go.

"Hold on," Kira released his hand as she sensed his spike in irritation, disappearing upwards into the trees to get a better view.

Kurama waited alone patiently, his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest in the eerie calm. He watched as the leaves upon the ground began to drift slowly across the ground, his emerald eyes narrowing suspiciously at the normally small action.

There was a sudden uplift of air and he almost felt like the breath was being taken straight from his lungs; the leaves shot upward, the tree branches bent towards the sky, ' _Hiei, how far away are you!?_ ' He panicked. Everything suddenly slammed back down with another gust of air; he heard tree branches snapping and a loud yelp as Kira crashed onto the ground with a pile of shattered tree limbs.

She groaned as she sat up, "Nevermind. They're here already…" She muttered as Kurama grabbed her elbow, yanking her off of the ground.

' _25 minutes at least, why?_ ' Hiei's voice echoed in his head.

' _They're here_ ,' The fox grit his teeth together, his eyes tracing the massive funnel that was making its way steadily towards the ground from the clouds above; it was both a magnificent display of power, and a terrifying one, "If we can stall them long enough we'll have backup," He said shakily as he pulled a single rose from his hair.

Kira's eyes widened as the tornado-like gust hammered into the ground about 50 feet away from them, Tobikuma must have been using the natural wind currents to amplify his abilities, at least she hoped that was it; she raked her brain for an answer on what to do as a deafening snap echoed through the forest, all at once the wind and the funnel dissipated, and she could see the shadowed figures of 3 walking their way, "Shit, shit, shit," She cursed in rapid succession, looking up at Kurama. What were they going to do? They could run, but Kurama wasn't nearly as fast as Kira, and she was positive Tatsumi would be able to catch him, and she wouldn't risk that.

"Just talk as much as you can. Try to buy as much time as possible until Hiei arrives to level the playing field," He whispered to her with a firm nod as the three came into view.

One was definitely Kanami, trailing behind the two slightly and to the left. The second was only a bit in front of her and to the right, she was tall, very lanky, with oddly colored brown and black scales for skin, her long black hair pulled back tightly in a ponytail as her long forked tongue poked in and out of her lips excitedly: Tatsumi. She wore the same attire that Kira generally wore, a pair of plain black shorts, and a plain white t-shirt. At the head of the trio was Tobikuma, his large brown wings tucked behind his back and a smirk on his avian-featured face as he strolled in their direction with a predatory air about his movement. He was shirtless (Kira imagined it would be pretty difficult to get a shirt on over his wings), with only a simple, plain pair of black shorts covering him. But something was very different about both Tobi and Sumi; they had strange, almost tribal-like markings along the majority of their bodies, Tatsumi's were an odd tan color, while Tobi's were a pure black. Kira straightened her spine and squared her shoulders, her jaw clenched and her eyebrows knitting as she glared at the three, trying desperately to not look as frightened as she felt in that moment.

"There's no need for that, little Kirazuki," Tobi shouted out deeply, seeing her naturally dominant stance, "We are all equals here," He stated as he came to a halt, the other two stopping in his wake.

"Fuck you we are," Kira spat back venomously, instantly on the defensive, narrowing her mismatched eyes in Kanami's direction, "Good to see you again, traitor,"

Kanami opened her mouth to speak, but Tobikuma held a clawed hand up to halt her, "Do not engage her, little psychic. We may chat later when we have more time,"

Kurama inhaled sharply, they must have already known Hiei was on his way.. Kira laughed to this statement, "We won't be spending quality time together any time soon,"

"Do you think the fox and the wolf can outmatch all three of us? The eagle, the serpent, and the psychic? I can promise you now that the little swordsman won't make it before we kill your ally and simply bring you with us," Tobi smirked confidently.

"Can we take him too, brother? I like him. He'sss like usss," Came a hiss from behind Kurama.

Kira's eyes doubled in size as she saw Tatsumi stood behind the fox, playing childishly with and smelling his hair. She hadn't even noticed the snake move. In seconds she was gone, as was Tatsumi, and all Kurama could see was the kicking up of dirt and grass as the two beasts clashed. There was a loud slam that his eyes snapped towards instinctively: Kira had Tatsumi pinned up against a tree by her neck, so hard in fact that she had managed to splinter some of the thick trunk, a snarl of anger on her normally smiling face, " **Don't** touch him,"

"Now now, my Sisters," Tobikuma had also appeared behind the pair, his razor sharp talons against the back of Kira's neck, "No fighting,"

' _Hiei, we need you now!_ ' Kurama called out with widened eyes.

' _I'm going as fast as I can, fox!'_

Tatsumi gave a wicked, high pitched laugh that made the hair on Kira's neck stand up, "And here sssissster thought the fire demon would make you mad," She smiled as her tongue flicked out of her mouth.

Kira growled deeply in her throat, tightening her grip around the snake's neck as her mismatched eyes narrowed dangerously, but Tobikuma just did the same to her, his talons just barely piercing the soft flesh at the back of her neck, "Kirazuki, I suggest you release your sister. And don't even think about moving, fox," He narrowed his pitch black eyes in Kurama's direction. She gave one final shove against Tatsumi's throat, simultaneously pushing herself away (and also spitting in her face as she went) as Tobi guided her so she was facing the fox, delivering a quick and heavy kick to her back that sent her flying.

Kira winced as she crashed into Kurama, the two of them landing in a tangled pile on the ground. Tobikuma cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him, "You have two option little wolf," He paused as he strolled towards them casually, "The first, you simply come with us. We leave your precious comrades be. The second, you keep trying to stall us until the swordsman arrives, but you will fail, and he comes only to find the dead body of the fox, and you still come with us,"

"I'm not joining you psychopaths!" Kira shouted as she and Kurama found their feet, her anger swelling in her chest.

Tobi smiled, stopping a few feet away from them, "No one said anything about joining us, Kirazuki. We simply want to discuss things with you where we won't be disturbed,"

"He's lying, Kira," Kurama warned, maintaining eye contact with the eagle.

"Do you think we're lying about leaving your dead body here in the woods?" Tobi retorted, shifting his gaze to Kira, "You have 3 minutes to decide before we begin to take.. Drastic measures..." He smiled almost politely, turning on his heels and walking back towards Kanami and Tatsumi.

Talk about being trapped between a rock and a hard place. Kira stared hard at the back of the eagles head, making sure he wasn't going to pull any sort of sneak attack, before shifting her eyes to Kurama, "How long?"

Kurama shook his head, "He's still at least 15 minutes away… Kira, you can't leave, no matter what..."

Kira's fists clenched at her sides; that damn snake had already gotten her hands on him once, she couldn't keep an eye on all four of them and herself at the same time, "I'm not going to let them try to kill you,"

Kurama's voice was almost pleading as he spoke again, "And you can't leave with them, either. We can hold them off until Hiei arrives.. You already know they need you on their side, and that's just one step closer to it,"

Kira's stomach sank for the third time since she had met these people, all of her tensed muscles going limp as she turned to face Kurama, she looked quite wounded by the sudden realization that had just poured over her, "You don't trust me enough to go…"

Kurama mentally cursed to himself, shaking his head and placing a gentle hand on her upper arm, "No, it's not-"

Tobikuma's boisterous laughter interrupted his speech, "Of course they don't trust you little Dark Moon. You are too powerful for them, too mysterious, too unique, too dangerous. They don't understand you in the way we do, and they likely never will," His voice was a gentle purr as he tried to reason with the pair, his deep black eyes never leaving Kira's, "Only 1 minute left, Kirazuki. You should hear the things he's said to the swordsman about you. How you're nothing but a caged animal being released for the first time, how he needs to keep his distance, how he would kill you himself if it came to-"

"Shut up!" Kira spat with a sudden and unexpected fierceness, moving so she was slightly in front of Kurama as if to block him from the trio, "I don't need your **shit** help!"

"That's not the truth-"

"Yes it is!" Kanami suddenly spoke from behind Tobikuma and Tatsumi in a rare moment of boldness on her part, "I've heard everything you've said about us from day one! He's not lying, Kira,"

Kira laughed, throwing her hands in the air in mock defeat, " _Now_ you want me to trust _you_?" She shook her head, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, "I'm not **joining** you…" She paused for a moment; with lightening fast speed she dropped down in a steadying low stance to the ground, kicking one of her legs up behind her where it hit Kurama square in the chest. She whirled around, propelling herself perfectly with him as he flew like a ragdoll backwards into a tree; she snaked her hands onto his torso as they began to glow, releasing her ice around him and encasing the bottom half of him to the tree - exactly as she had the first time they had trained together, "But I won't let them try to kill you," She spoke apologetically, unable to look up at his widened eyes.

"Kira, you can't!" Kurama pleaded as he struggled against the ice, but his rose had been dropped from the stun of the kick: he was currently out of options, "Please, don't do this,"

Kira slipped her thumb underneath the Reikai's collar, giving it enough of a tug to snap it from her neck, a small wave of ice spreading from her feet as she did so, "Regroup, and _find_ _me_ ," She finally looked up at Kurama in an almost glare as she tucked her icy hand under his chin to force him to maintain steady eye contact, "You **need** to **trust** me," She spoke firmly before beginning to trail away to the trio.

Tobikuma began clapping his hands slowly, nodding as he did so, a certain satisfaction on his face, "Good, good girl, Kirazuki," He practically cooed, beckoning for Kanami to come forward.

"I'm still not joining you," Kira asserted firmly again as she stopped in front of them, ignoring Kurama's pleas behind her.

"In due time, little wolf, in due time," Tobi purred, reaching forward and gently grasping her wrists, pulling them out in ront of her, "Kanami," He called gently as she came to his side, "Bind her, please,"

Kira narrowed her eyes as Kanami touched both of her wrists, her hands beginning to glow a strange purple: she had half a notion to rip her eyes out, "Why is this necessary if I'm going with you willingly?"

Kanami knelt down in front of her now, placing one hand on each of her ankles, Tobi spoke again, "Precautionary measure is all," He replied airily, watching Kanami work.

Kira rolled her eyes as Kanami stood again and moved behind her, sweeping her long hair away from her shoulders and placing both glowing hands upon them, "Reikai forbid anyone trusts the _crazy_ wolf girl," She muttered, mainly to herself. She was still admittedly wounded by the harsh realization that her own allies didn't even trust her; she figured that, by now, she would've at least earned it.

Tobi smiled, placing a large hand on the top of her head, "It's going to get dark," He warned calmly as Kanami came back to the front, placing a single, glowing hand over her eyes before removing it: He was right, she definitely couldn't see a single thing. Tobikuma turned back to Kurama as he spread his wings out with a loud slap, "I thank you for your cooperation, fox. You may be rewarded some day when we make our great rise,"

Tobikuma's entire body began to emit a steady glow of red energy, his large wings giving a few gentle flaps to lift him into the air, and Kurama's emerald eyes glanced upwards as another large funnel cloud began to make its way down towards the group of four. He wished more than anything he could be free of the ice, he wished so feverishly in that moment he hadn't voiced all of his concerns to Hiei about Kira, that these things weren't fresh in her mind while she disappeared into the swirling winds with their enemies as the funnel crashed back onto the ground; it began to rise back into the air with an immense, hollow wind, the three women that once stood on the ground beneath it vanished.

And then, at once, as quickly as it had all came: Kurama was left alone, and everything was gone, including Kira.

* * *

Hiei could sense the three massive energy sources ahead of him as he flashed feverishly from tree to tree: the Mutt must have finally removed that damned collar, Kurama and the little traitorous psychic were there as well, and he almost was too. He couldn't **wait** to get his blade on the psychic; the one who dared to even lay a finger on him. She was skilled, yes; but she had deceived them all, and that was not forgivable in his book.

He came to a sudden halt, his crimson eyes widening as he watched the massive swirls of dust and cloud spiral downwards towards the ground in the distance, picking up stray leaves and weak tree limbs as it went: It must've been the male creature, he vaguely recalled that he controlled air as he took off in it's direction again.

' _What's going on?_ ' He called to Kurama as he neared, growing anxious as four of the five energy signatures disappeared; but he received no response.

Hiei skidded to a halting stop in the general area he had seen the large tornado funnel, scanning the area quickly for any signs of.. well, anyone.

"They're already gone," Kurama voice echoed from where he was pinned to the tree.

"What do you mean they're _gone_?" He practically spat, making his way over to the fox, easily placing a hand on his icy prison as it dissolved under his touch.

Kurama fought the urge to simply sink to the ground, placing a hand on the tree trunk for support, "She knew you wouldn't make it here in time.." He tried his best to remain impassive as he waited for a reaction, although he had a pretty good idea of what it would be.

Hiei shook his head, his fists clenching with frustration; the fox had been **so** damn adamant about how ' _dangerous'_ everything pertaining to Kira was, yet she had gone for the sole purpose of saving _him,_ and he didn't deserve it. His mistrust of her was unwarranted; she had more than proven herself, working diligently to train them when she had been able, until she was the one who needed them, "Where?" He spoke through gritted teeth.

Kurama stood straight, his eyes hardening as he looked at the fire demon, "Not yet, Hiei. We need to find the others before we begin our search.."

* * *

"So what's with the new markings?" Kira asked for conversations sake as she walked blindly through… She actually had no idea, but she knew the ground was definitely either dirt or sand, that was a start.

Tobikuma smiled as he guided her through the many trails of their den, stopping momentarily and motioning for Kanami to come forward, "Let her see," He spoke lightly, and the psychic did as she was told, placing another glowing purple hand over Kira's eyes to restore her vision, "It is just more secrets the Reikai have kept from us about ourselves," He explained as he trailed away from the three women.

Kira scoffed, blinking a few times to rid her eyes of the remainder of the cloudiness but said nothing as he removed his shorts while he walked; the action bothered none of them, each of them had grown very used to nudity among themselves. She watched as he stopped, turning to face them, his pure black eyes closing slowly as he began to emit his own demonic energy in steady waves. The strange markings on his body began to glow as well, and her eyes widened as she watched the bones beneath each of his muscles begin to crack, popping and reforming one by one; Tobi groaned as what looked like large feathers began to push out through his skin.

Kira's eyes widened even more when it finally hit her: he was _transforming_ into something, into what his animal was: an eagle. Only much, much bigger. And Tatsumi must be able to do it, too.. "Show me how," She said quickly and dazed, tearing her eyes away from the scene to look at Tatsumi, who stood only slightly behind her.

Tatsumi flicked her tongue out from between her dark lips as a smile began to play across them, "We will teach you all you want to know asss sssoon asss you agree to be one with usss," She hissed, before nodding towards Tobikuma, "Gaze upon what the Reikai hasss hidden from usss, sssissster,"

Kira turned back to the eagle, her jaw falling slack as she watched the now enormous avian give a few gentle flaps of it's elegant wings, kicking up a large amount of sand into the air around them: it, he, was both brilliant and terrifying. And Kira **needed** to know how.

* * *

"I fucking knew it!" Taryuu boomed back in the hotel room, pounding one of his large fists into the wall with a snarl, "This is **his** fault!"

Kurama shot him a cold look, narrowing his eyes, "This is completely Kanami's doing, you are placing your blame and anger on the wrong person," He protested firmly.

Yusuke put a firm hand on the dragons forearm, looking him steadily in the eyes, "I know you're upset, but if you want to get her back, you're going to have to calm down and we're going to have to use our heads, together," He spoke in a rare moment of seriousness on his part.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Taryuu and Kurama were in the trios hotel room, Kurama had taken the liberty to check them in for a few extra nights, regardless of if they would be there for all of them or not it would make a good home base while they were here. Hiei on the other hand, Kurama suspected, was likely on the roof. The fox stood from the arm chair he was seated in, beginning to walk towards the door, "I'm going to fetch Hiei," He spoke with a sigh as he headed towards the roof grudgingly. He had a lot of explaining to do to him, and Kira.

As he trailed the dim hallway he recalled that he had once quite admired Kira for her wolven spirit, felt connected to her and the others because of this; they were like him. He had felt anger towards Hiei for injuring her when **she** had tried to kill **him**. He couldn't help but wonder exactly when that had changed, or why. When did he start becoming unnecessarily weary of her? She had done nothing to him directly to cause this shift, either. His regret and his guilt cut deep into him in those moments as he made his way up towards the roof.

The rusted steel door creaked it's way open, and Kurama saw the fire demon perched in the same spot he had found Kira just lastnight, staring off into the distance with the Jagan open wide, likely scanning the surrounding areas. The fox silently made his way to the edge of the roof beside him, "I want to apologize," He spoke soft but firm, turning his eyes upwards towards the sky that was beginning to grow dark, "I was.. Unneccesarily cautious, cruel even, of your actions. I acted on what I felt was most beneficial to the task at hand, without taking any individual aspects into consideration,"

"Hn." Hiei stuck his hands in his pockets, his crimson eyes sliding closed, "You're apologizing to the wrong person, fox," He replied stoically, turning on his heels and beginning to walk to the door.

Kurama knew this, it had been Kira he had spoken ill of, and now she knew about it, too. And at the moment, there was nothing he could do to repair it.. "I know.. I suppose it's the best I could do for now.."

* * *

"I want to give you one more chance to concede before we begin," Tobi smiled kindly at Kira as he bent down, picking up a piece of cloth from the dirt floor and turning it over in his hands, "We could teach you so much that we've learned in our absense, little Dark Moon. There is so much you don't know about yourself, so much the Reikai has hidden from you,"

Kira scowled from where she stood chained, her arms suspended above her head and joined at the wrists; her legs were spread about a foot apart, her ankles shackled to the ground. Where they currently were appeared to be a massive, circular underground cavern, lit by hundreds of flamed torches; there was only one way in or out: where a gradually raised trail led around the outer side of the dome-like cave to a high arched entry point. Kanami sat on the floor cross-legged a few feet away from them, her entire body emitting a purple aura; the wolf knew she was masking their location. Tatsumi stood to her left, rolling a swirling ball of water within in scaled hands almost elegantly, "Not a chance,"

Tobikuma sighed as he made his way behind her, running his razor sharp talons through her long hair a few times, "It's too bad…" He spoke sadly, before quickly wrapping his hand around her hair, roughly yanking her head backwards so she was staring up at her conjoined hands, "Just know, simply say the words and we'll stop. We take no pleasure in what we are about to do to you,"

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for the brand spankin' new M RATED 'Lone Wolf' 'Chapter 23: Liquid and Scars'!**

 **-B.J.**


	23. Chapter 23: Liquid and Scars

**Welcome to the dark side! The brand spankin' new M RATED side of 'Lone Wolf'! Mwahaha. Anyway, Rated M for M Rated stuff and things.**

 **After this chapter I'm going to start including the summaries for the Poll Stories in my Author's Notes, some just need a finish and others just need a fine tuning. Some of the stories will have multiple options on the poll for you to choose from as well.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Liquid and Scars**

Kirazuki inhaled sharply, gagging as she felt the ice cold liquid pouring over her covered face; her mismatched eyes widened from beneath the piece of cloth as she felt the water freezing to her already shaking body. She tried desperately to pull her head forward, free her airways from the water, but a dangerous grip around her hair at her scalp kept it firmly in place. Her body began to twitch rhythmically with her short and quick gasps for oxygen, but it was filled only with more liquid; she squeezed her bloodshot eyes shut, silently pleading in her mind for this to just be over.

As if answering her prayers, she felt her head snap forward, the towel falling with a moist plop to the dirt floor below; she began to cough so uncontrollably she thought she may vomit, gagging as water was forced out of her airways, and gasping to replenish air. Had the chains not been suspending her upwards, she surely would've collapsed onto the ground. The corners of her mouth held a deep blue color to them, fading into purple, before a soft and very pale pink in the centers. She had lost count of how many times they had done this already.

"As I have said before, Kirazuki," Tobikuma purred from behind her, running her talons through her long, damp, and slightly frozen hair as she hung her head limply against her arm, her chest heaving up and down, "We take no joy in this.. Concede to us, and it all goes away,"

"Ssspeak for yourssself," Tatsumi hissed, already balanced another ball of water in her palm as she bent down in front of the chained wolf, plucking the piece of cloth off of the floor with her free hand.

Kanami sat upon the dirt floor in front of the three, working tirelessly at masking each of their individual energy sources, and blocking the faint distress signal that the wolf kept trying to sneak out.

Kira opened one of her eyes lazily, panting as she still tried to catch her breath, "You might as well just kill me," She spoke between heaves of air, "It's not going to happen.."

Tobi smiled faintly as he untangled his hand from her white, grey and black hair, placing a single talon on her lower back and tracing it around her midsection as he walked to her front, "Perhaps we'll try something new, then," He trailed his talon upwards slightly, right below the left half of her rib cage on top of her now dirty dress, "Do you remember your first time in the Sim?" He asked casually, one by one tapping the rest of his fingers into the same spot.

Kira narrowed her eyes: of course she remembered. The scar from it was directly under his hand, "Yeah, I got my ass handed to me," She chuckled faintly, shaking her head as she closed her eyes once again, she just wanted to sleep.

"Tell me about it," He spoke with a calm tone, almost comfortingly.

Kira didn't know where he was going with this, but spoke none the less, "It was a Makai based, it was the first time they'd ever used it and they messed up the settings and had me in with an S Class. He was an earth demon, got me right where your hand is with a spike of-" She was cut short as a heart wrenching scream burst from her lungs, a searing pain erupted directly below her rib cage, her eyes shooting open in shock; Tobi had taken the opportunity to dive his talons straight into her through her scar. She ground her teeth together with a grunt as she tried to contain her vocalization, screwing her eyes shut as tightly as she could.

"And then what?" Tobi cooed, squirming his fingers around slightly as the crimson began to soak it's way through the shimmering white fabric, causing the wolf to wince several times.

Kira glared fiercely into his blackened eyes: If cutting open old scars was the 'something new' he had in mind, chances were pretty high she really would end up dead, she certainly had more than enough scars to end up bleeding to death, "I tried to lift myself off of it.." She continued, whimpering slightly as the eagle pulled his hand backwards a small amount, "And then he kicked me in the ribs-" She cried out again as Tobi dragged his talons outwards from the initial wound, following the line of her scar almost perfectly.

"And then they pulled you out," Tobi smiled as he withdrew his talons. One by one he brought them to his mouth, cleaning each one off with his tongue, "Do you know why one of your eyes is brown?" He questioned randomly as he cleansed the last finger.

"Enlighten me," Kira panted as one of her eyes slid closed, resting her head back down against her arm as she tried to fend away her vertigo.

"It's actually a very deep flaw we have," He explained as he crouched down in front of her, "It's supposed to be for our benefit, since we have such naturally high pain thresholds in battle, it let's us know when there's an injured portion of our body based on what side the injury is on. But it also allows those who know this secret access to our weak points," He gently unlatched one of her ankles, picking up her dirt covered foot in his hand, "You still haven't fully healed from the venom," He stated as he traced a single talon from her ankle down to her toes.

Kira heavily resisted the urge to kick him directly in his disgusting beak of a nose, that would only work against her in the long run, "Fascinating," She muttered as she closed her other eye; maybe she could take a small nap.

"We truly are extraordinary creatures," Tobikuma spoke as his sharp talons traced the scars of the old bite wound, grasping her ankle firmly with his free hand, "We transcend the natural balance of life, give it new meaning, and yet we are… Under appreciated, under estimated.." Again he sunk them into her cold flesh and Kira gritted her teeth together as she screamed through them, her head snapping forward as she felt them pierce through to the underside of her foot like knives, slicing through tendons and ligaments as they went. She tried to kick out at him, but his other hand held her in place as he withdrew his now bloodied hand in one swift motion, "We should not be divided this way," He spoke sadly, slamming her foot back down onto the ground; Kira whimpered as she felt the gritty sand clinging to the all too fresh wound as Tobi re-shackled her ankle, "Your allegiance should be with us, the ones who understand you like those simple minds never could,"

Kira exhaled swiftly through her mouth in a pathetic attempt at a laugh, rocking her head from side to side, "You understand nothing about me,"

* * *

Kurama, Taryuu, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were currently spread out within their hotel room; Kurama had 3 large maps lined up on the floor in front of him, a red pen perched in his hand, Hiei stood by the window, hands in his pockets and Jagan wide.

"Right here," Yusuke pointed to a spot on the second map, relaying the location Hiei had just flashed through his mind, and Kurama diligently circled it, "Here," He pointed to another spot on the second map, and the fox repeated the motion.

Hiei was scanning the area for caves that were approximately North-west of their current location, giving them mentally to Yusuke to save him having to walk back and forth to point out the areas to Kurama, who was marking them onto the maps.

"This is like some real life Detective stuff," Kuwabara said excitedly as he watched more and more circles pop up on their 3 large pieces of paper.

Hiei scowled at his seemingly chipper attitude, this wasn't the time nor place for it, "That's all of them," He stated, unmoving from where he was.

"Good," Kurama spoke as he tapped the pen on the carpet, staring hard at the maps, "There's 43 caves at varying distances North-west of here.."

Yusuke and Kuwabara both sweatdropped, "That's.. A lot of walking…" The Spirit Detective spoke wearily. Taryuu huffed loudly from where he was laying on the couch, he was still trying to keep his emotions in check.

"No, I've been to some of these before," Kurama confessed as he began crossing certain circles from the maps, while marking others with a second circle, "We're specifically looking for ones that lead underground,"

Yusuke grinned, "Alright, process of elimination. Good thinking Kurama," He chuckled with a thumbs up.

"We'll have this done and Kira back in no time!" Kuwabara proclaimed happily, pumping his fist into the air.

"That still leaves us with 27 caves, you moron," Hiei finally spoke, unmoving from in front of the window.

"Hey Shrimp!" Kuwabara pointed directly at the fire demon with a glare, "Don't get mad at us just because your girlfriends missing," He grumbled, before shoving his fist in the air again, "You don't need to worry Hiei, because I, Kazuma Kuwabara, am the Warrior.. of **Love** , and I'll fight for _yours_ too, because that's what a real man **does** ," He proclaimed confidently, his jaw tightening with determination.

Hiei scowled as his eye twitched with irritation, while Yusuke and Kurama began to snicker among themselves at his expense, "I **will** kill you if you continue to make ridiculously _idiotic_ statements," He loathed the oaf, even more so than usual as he narrowed his crimson eyes out the window. How did that damn psychic manage to cover them around the clock? She had to sleep eventually, and he would wait for that moment if they hadn't already found them; his consciousness bouncing between the various caves of the Makai as he searched. He wanted nothing more than to go out on his own, he could cover so much more ground without the deadweight of the Detective and Kuwabara and their lack of speed, ' _Where are you, you foolish Mutt.._ '

* * *

Kirazuki awoke with a sudden stir, her now completely brown eyes flying open with a groan, flexing her tingling fingers as she tried to regain some feeling. She was, for once, oddly cold; as her battered and bloodied body hung helplessly suspended and torn. Both her ankles and wrists had been reopened from her old restraint scars, the chains around them only it worse; across her shoulder blades; various areas on her legs and arms; her chest; one could hardly tell her dress was once white. Kanami sat in front of her peacefully, her crystal eyes closed as she focused on her task. Tobikuma and Tatsumi had decided to take a break at some point, and Kira had decided to sleep while she could. An idea crossed her cloudy mind in that moment, being left alone with the traitor. Maybe it was the blood loss, maybe she was just delusional, or maybe she had finally gone insane: one of those 3, Kira was sure, "Kanami," She called calmly.

Kanami's brilliant eyes opened, her normally timid look on her face as she spoke, "I'm not supposed to speak with you.."

Kira rolled her neck as minimally as she could manage from her bonds, "That's okay, I'll do the talking," She smiled, she was in no position to be making threats right now, but just maybe her crazy idea could work, "You know they're going to kill you, right?" She taunted, her tail giving a gentle bristle.

"I'm going to call them back if you don't stop," Kanami warned with a wavering voice.

"Go ahead, they're going to come back soon and do the same thing they've been doing anyway. I just want you to know; they're going to find me, and that'll bring them to you, and I have a feeling betrayal doesn't sit with them well," Kira paused in her ramble a moment, her ears giving a small twitch, she could tell she was getting under the psychics skin. Maybe, if she kept pushing her luck, she could manage to force her to drop her focus just enough to get her signal out, she just hoped someone was looking for it when it happened, "It won't be Kuwabara, because you're a woman, if anyone could actually call you that, but maybe it'll be Taryuu, I bet he'd love to drown you, dragon temper and all-"

"Kira-"

"Maybe Yusuke'll just blow you away with his Spirit Gun-"

"Kira!-"

"Maybe Kurama will get to slice you up, he can be _merciless,_ especially towards a traitor _-_ "

"Stop it!-"

"I bet Hiei's **itching** to do the same, he hates to be touched, you know-"

"Be quiet!-"

"Maybe I'll still be alive to tear your head from the rest of your body-"

"Kirazuki!" The wolf froze her speech, her mouth still open slightly as she heard Tobikuma's voice cut through the air. Shit. That plan didn't work out well. Her stomach sank as she glanced towards the arched entrance where Tobi and Tatsumi had just re-entered the cavern, "I see you have awoken," He spoke with an unusual chill to his voice as he made his way down the narrow path, his muscles shifting all too predatorily under his skin as he walked towards her, "Have you changed your mind yet?" He questioned as he stood in front of her, placing a few gentle talons on her cheek.

Kira inhaled sharply as she maintained a steady eye contact with his black, bottomless eyes, her heart beginning to pound against her chest; she would be lying if she said she didn't fear him at this point, "No," She spoke firmly.

Tobikuma sighed as he almost playfully began to trail his fingers up the side of her head, crawling them over to one of her suspended arms, "It's too bad," He cooed as he unshackled a single arm: it dropped heavily against her side. She watched as he began to ever so gently slice away the small cap sleeve of her dress until it fell weightlessly from her still motionless arm, "I don't enjoy this," He spoke airily, eyeing the old burn scar upon the ball of her shoulder from the flames of their Stress Tests, "Do you remember this one?" He asked faintly, placing a single talon on one of the jagged edges, pressing ever so gently until he punctured the skin just a fraction.

"Stress Test," Kira spoke coldly, watching as Tobi began to carefully cut along the sloppy scars edge: the pain was nothing but a simple paper cuts sting, and her mismatched eyes followed the delicate and precise movements until he had gone around the entire outer edge. She gasped when he began tucking his talons into the fresh cut line at the top of her shoulder, and screamed finally when he gave a harsh yank. She could feel everything, his razor-sharp claws scraping against her tender muscle and fatty tissue, separating it away from the flesh like she was being skinned. She hung her head against her chest with another scream as he worked to mercilessly peel the scar tissue from her body, her eyes welling with tears for the first time since she'd been imprisoned. And, for the very first time, as he shaved away the last hunk of thin skin, throwing it casually to the side, she considered finally breaking to their wishes.

She cried out as he roughly shoved her arm upwards to rechain it, her shoulder screaming with pain while her stray hair clung to the fresh wound, "Now?" He asked as he refastened her wrist, peeking around the side of her.

Kira gnawed down on her bottom lip as she tried to fend away the tears from falling, that would give him far too much satisfaction, "No," Her voice trembled as she said the word.

Tobikuma sighed as he trailed across the floor, bending down to pick up the towel they had used earlier and squeezing the remaining water from it, "Are you sure?" He asked as he tossed it up and down in the air, a clear warning of what was to come.

"Fuck you," She said bitterly as she buried her face in her uninjured arm, her entire body ached, and her knees trembled as she tried to use them to support her, fearing that letting her weight tug on her shoulder may cause more damage, or more pain.

"Tatsumi," He beckoned the serpent with his hand, making his way behind the broken wolf, "You are stubborn beyond belief, little Dark Moon," He spoke sympathetically, lacing his hand in her hair and yanking her head backwards as he flopped the towel over her face yet again.

Kira's heart rate skyrocketed with anxiety as she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impending feeling of drowning to wash her over yet again; but she gave a final small chuckle into the cloth, "It's who I am…"

* * *

Kurama sat upon the grass, a pen cap dangling from his mouth as he crossed off their 4th cave of the day and, since it appeared to be getting dark out, likely their last. He sighed in defeat as he pressed the pen back into its top, folding up the worn out map as he stood from the ground, "I suppose we should head back for the night…" He spoke in a grim tone of voice, tucking the map away safely in his back pocket. He assumed the closest caves would not likely house Tobikuma and Tatsumi, but they had decided to work their way outwards.

Hiei stood atop the caves entrance, his hands in his pockets as he stared off into the distance; at 4 caves per day it would take them nearly a week to clear through all of them - and that was far too long. They needed to move faster, find a way to be more efficient, they needed to let him go out on his _own_ hunt, he was faster than any of them, and he could at least scout out the remaining caves, "Why don't we keep going?" He questioned; yes, they were losing daylight, but they could certainly fair in the Makai night.

Kurama shook his head gently, "You and I may be able to see well enough in the dark, but Yusuke and Kuwabara don't have the same advantage,"

Kuwabara sat on the ground at the opening, gently massaging his right ankle, he had managed to trip over something in the cave and suspected it may be sprained, but he had willed himself to keep pushing forward: they had a job to do, and they had a friend to rescue. He may not have been as close to Kira as some of them, but he knew she would keep going if any of the roles were switched, "Me and Urameshi can manage if you guys wanna keep going," His tone of voice held the utmost seriousness to it, so much so that even the fire demon turned to look at him.

Yusuke, though surprised for a moment, nodded firmly to this statement, Kuwabara's words and determination uplifting his spirits as he refocused his gaze on the fox, "Let's keep going,"

"There you have it," Hiei smirked as he appeared at Kurama's side, very satisfied with this outcome for once, his dislike of Kuwabara wavering _ever_ so slightly.

Taryuu came lumbering back from somewhere in the woods where he had retreated to relieve himself, clearing his throat as he entered the conversation, "Alright, I'm ready. Where next?" He questioned as he adjusted his large white t-shirt.

Kurama sighed heavily: he was definitely outnumbered, and at this point he had absolutely no room to protest a unanimous group decision, no matter how ill-adviced it was. He reluctantly removed the map from his pocket, gently unfolding it as his emerald eyes strained to find their next target in the dying daylight, "Let's get moving, then,"

* * *

"You are persistant, little wolf," Tobikuma sighed as he shook his head, listening to Kira gasp, gag and sputter, the soaking cloth laying on the floor at her feet. His blackened eyes traced her outline, and a deep frown set on his face, "I think we're all out of scars.." He spoke sadly as he stroked the side of her cold face, grasping her chin to firmly hold her bloodshot eyes with his, "Whatever shall we do?"

"Go fuck yourself," Kira replied in airy gasps, trying to feebly yank her face from his grasp.

Tobi narrowed his eyes, his hand slowly slinking up to the top of her head as one of his sharp talons traced the soft outer edge of her canine ear, but he shook his head, "We won't go that far, yet," He trailed his hand down the side of her face, the center of her chest, around her stomach, and down to the side of her hip; his other hand rising to the opposite hip. He carefully positioned one finger on each at a slight angle, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Kira wretched her eyes shut as he pressed his fingers in; the talons slicing through muscle wasn't terrible, but when she felt the knife-like nails scrape against the ball joints of her hips, her legs finally gave out. She screamed as the exposed flesh at her shoulder tugged with her weight, and Tobi promptly withdrew both fingers.

He smiled faintly, trailing around behind her out of her eyesight, "If you're sure, perhaps we will take something else: perhaps it will sway your decision,"

Kira leaned her head against her arm in exhaustion - she really didn't know how much longer she could do this; she didn't even know how long she already had been. She winced as she felt a firm grasp on the center of her tail, her brown eyes widening in realization, "No!" She shouted, trying to buck her legs in a poor attempt to escape his grasp, but the shooting pain through her hips kept her in place. She began to panic as she felt him place 3 very precise talons at the top of the base of her tail.

"Do you concede?" Tobi spoke cruelly and firm, his hands unmoving as she squirmed helplessly.

Kira squeezed her eyes shut: she couldn't give in, but she knew this would undoubtably be the most excrutiating pain she had ever experienced, perhaps that she ever would experience, "Just get it over with," She took a few deep breaths, sinking her teeth into her lip in preperation.

"If you insist," Tobi smiled gently, shoving his talons downwards; Kira cried out as they sliced cleanly through the fleshy portions; however, they were not strong enough to pierce the bone. He placed his hand on her lower back, directly above the base to her tail; he began working away, twisting, bending, splintering the delicate and sensitive caudal bones.

Kira found, very quickly, she was unable to scream, unable cry out, the breath had seemingly been frozen over in her chest; she could no longer hear the repulsive cracks coming from behind her, and her vision was quickly and steadily clouding. Adrenaline pulsed through her broken body; maybe, she thought, she was finally going into shock. But a sudden warmth was spreading through her limbs, coursing through her veins; this wasn't the welcome of unconsciousness, even the arms of death she was expecting; this was very different. Her eyes widened, though she could no longer see through them, ' _No.._ '

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for 'Lone Wolf' 'Chapter 24: Kill Switch'!**

 **-B.J.**


	24. Chapter 24: Kill Switch

**Hello hello! Reviews are always appreciated! I thank everyone deeply who has reviewed, followed, or favorited, even viewed! It really means a lot! :)**

* * *

 **As promised, I am going to start including the Poll Story summaries in my A/Ns. I think this one is one of my favorites thus far, I adore the feel of it; here is the summary for:** _ **Ghosts of Our Past**_ **.**

 **Summary** **: The Kiikimono are an ancient, powerful species of demon whose true whereabouts are unknown; as the Makai is threatened with a new war, three former comrades must band together in an attempt to find an old ally turned enemy of one who could help them locate the secretive race that could save all 3 worlds; but as they venture closer to their goal, long kept secrets, old lies and dark pasts threaten to tear them apart.**

 **Time Period** **: Post Series.**

 **Fun Fact:** **The Kiikimono are based off of Shizen from 'Card Reader Tales & Tongues' :P Helpful old woman, she is.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Kill Switch**

Kurama emerald eyes widened in the darkness, a deep chill quaking it's way through his momentarily paralyzed body as he directed a cautious glance towards the fire demon, "Can you feel that?" He questioned quietly, beginning to dig the map out of his back pocket clumsily.

"Hurry up, before it stops," Hiei commanded sternly as he came to a halting stop above, leaping from a tree to the fox's side; it was unmistakably Kira's energy.

Yusuke gave a large shudder, the hair along his body standing on end as Kurama hastily slammed the map to the grass, "What is that…?" He spoke shakily; if something was big enough for him to sense, it was normally bad.

Kuwabara had broken into a dampening sweat; his muscles trembling as he leaned against a tree for support, "That would be a big bad feely…" He murmured, grasping his own arms with his hands as he tried to fend the feeling of fear from his chest.

"It's Kira," Taryuu spoke hesitantly through gritted teeth. He knew she must be in distress to emit such a massive amount of energy in one blast, something was wrong with her. He watched as Kurama began backing away from the map, the fire demon crouched in front of it, shifting his crimson eyes between the horizon and the map before giving a decisive point to one of the double circled caves.

"It's this one," He was positive of this, there were absolutely no other possible caves in the area that was emitting this distinctive energy signature; the Jagan really did come in handy when he needed it most.

"Good job, the mangy little wolf!" Yusuke said excitedly as himself, Kuwabara and Taryuu began to head in the direction of the selected cavern, while Kurama and Hiei trailed behind them slightly, their expressions significantly more grim than the rest.

"It appears you may get your desired duty after all, fox," Hiei spoke coldly, making sure the trio ahead couldn't hear the exchange.

Kurama almost recoiled from the harsh statement, fixing his emerald eyes upon the grass as they walked. He wouldn't do it, he _couldn't_ do it, not anymore. She was one of them now, and she was only in this situation because of him, "She's been pulled back before," He stated, more to convince himself than anything, "We'll just have to do it once more,"

* * *

Tobikuma chuckled deeply as he cleaned the remainder of fresh blood from his fingertips; everyone's blood had a different taste to it, especially the little ice demoness'; ice demon blood runs significantly colder than any other type, and he enjoyed the distinct difference it held, "Perhaps we pushed her a tad too far," His black eyes scanned the floor, a glistening layer of ice atop the sand. Kanami scrambled to her feet, quickly resuming her binds upon the bloodied woman before them. Her entire body was trembling from the way a certain pair of deep brown eyes glinted at her maliciously from where they were suspended, "I wouldn't suggest allowing your power to waiver a second time," Tobi smiled kindly, "She seems to have taken quite the liking to you, little psychic,"

Kanami looked at him with wide crystal eyes before returning her gaze to Kirazuki, another tremor raked her body with fear at the low growl that arose from her throat; everything about her current demeanor was predatory, but it was that look of pure murder in her chocolate eyes that frightened her the most, "Master.. What's happened to her..?"

"This is what we do," Tobi spoke almost condescendingly, as if it was common knowledge, "This is our bodies way of preserving us: our inner animal takes hold of everything we do to ensure our survival. As I have said before, we are truly, undeniably incredible creatures," His face was laced with admiration; a part of him wishing to unleash the wolf and put her to a true test, but he certainly knew better, especially the look in her eye as she traced every movement of Kanami, "Does her gaze make you uncomfortable, little psychic?"

Kanami nodded nervously, "She looks at me as if I am her prey.."

Tobikuma chuckled gently as he beckoned Tatsumi to him, using his talons to shred the bottom of her shirt into a fine strip; he paced his way behind the wolf, his foot kicking the remains of her tattered tail that lay on the ground. With one swift motion, he looped the strip of fabric around her head, fending off her thrashing and pressing his knee into the empty socket that once housed her tail. He worked quickly in tying the strip at the back of her head, across her burning chocolate eyes, "Is that better?" He questioned as he withdrew his presence.

Kanami nodded yet again, "Will she go back..?" She asked slowly; she was growing quite tired. She didn't know exactly how long they had been down here, but concealing all 4 of them and binding the wolf was quite taxing on her.

"Onccce the threat has diminissshed," Tatsumi hissed as she approached Kira, raising a single scaled hand with the desire of stroking the wolf's face, but when her fingers grazed her cheek she was instead met with a vicious snap of her jaws.

Tobikuma took hold of Sumi's arm, gently pulling her away from Kira, "And that threat is us," He began to trail a circle around Kira's hanging figure, "Take heed, sisters. We may be a formidable enemy as we are; but when we are as she is now, we are truly Apex predators,"

* * *

"Let's go get our dog back!" Yusuke grinned with determination from the caves opening. This was the one, and they were almost home. And Keiko _wouldn't_ kill him when he got back.

"Yusuke," Kurama called before he began to enter, "Before we go…" He paused, trying to think of how he could possibly explain what they may face beyond that entrance, "Do you recall when Kira tried to kill Hiei, back in the Ningenkai before we departed to Genkai's?"

Yusuke snickered slightly, "Which time?" He taunted, not quite picking up on the severity of the fox's words.

"The kill switch…" Taryuu muttered with widened deep navy eyes as he stared into the depths of the cave, which almost instantly split into 3 separate paths just beyond its entrance, "I had a feeling…"

"Wait, what's that?" Kuwabara asked from where he stood beside Yusuke. They were definitely in the right place; although the energy signatures were still masked, he definitely had a bad case of 'the creeps', and it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"I've only had it happen to me once.. It's like our survival mode," Taryuu explained grimly, "We just.. We lose control of everything: our mind, our body.. We fight to survive until everything in our way is dead, or we die trying.. But she was in this state when she tried to kill the fire demon?" He questioned curiously towards Kurama. In his own experience, and any others he knew of, he had never seen an instance where the desired target wasn't neutralized.

Kurama nodded in confirmation, "She was brought out of it, but yes. She explained herself what had happened,"

"Huh," Taryuu chuckled gently, his deep eyes gazing at the back of Hiei, "Must have a soft spot for the little guy,"

"You think she's already fighting in there?" Yusuke asked solemnly as he stared into the cave.

"Kanami is still blocking their traces, so I would presume she isn't," Kurama rationalized as he began to walk into the cave, the rest beginning to follow behind him, "Kuwabara, can you tell which path we should take?" He and the others may have been able to feel the ominous air, but their orange-haired friend had always had a knack for pinpointing it.

Kuwabara's eyes darted between the three separate pathways, trying to sort through the heavy atmosphere. He straightened his spine as he stared directly into the darkness, he was positive, "Dead ahead, you guys,"

* * *

"Master, Mistress…" Kanami's haunting baby blue eyes opened, shifting them slowly to the side, "I believe we have guests approaching," She spoke cautiously, "One is our dragon brother.."

"Ahh," Tobikuma chuckled, gently clapping his clawed hands together, "It appears the Detective and friends have come for you after all, little Kirazuki," He stroked a single hand through Kira's long hair, disregarding the feral growl as he turned his eyes towards Kanami, "Beckon our hoards, little psychic,"

Kanami winced, timidly glancing towards the eagle, "Master.. It's been several days since I last rested… I.. I don't know if I have the strength to keep her and summon them…"

"Hm," Tobi debated only momentarily, continuing to pet the wolf's hair, "She seems subdued enough for now, beckon the hoards," He said casually, waving his hand in the air with a careless sigh.

Kanami's jaw clenched - Kira could easily snap the simple restraints, the majority of what was holding her was her own power. It may have been easy for the eagle to make such a call - he wasn't the one she clearly wanted to pursue. But an order was an order among Tobikuma and Tatsumi, and the psychic reluctantly dropped her bindings, reclosing her eyes, her entire body beginning to emanate a purple aura as she called to the reinforcements.

* * *

"How much longer do you think?" Yusuke grumbled, his legs growing tired from all the walking and his eyes growing sore from the strain of the darkness, at this point he was beyond ready for the normalcy of Ningenkai life, and they were so close to it.

"Shut it, Urameshi," Kuwabara retorted; the air within the cave was almost strangling him. He could tell they were close, and he could see a bend up ahead of them - he had a feeling that right beyond that bend was exactly what they were looking for. Yusuke could tell by his response that Kuwabara was troubled - part of him wanted to be able to feel what he felt, but perhaps it was a blessing he didn't have such a high awareness.

Kurama jaw tightened as an ominous presence seemed to rise up from behind them, "They've summoned the rest of the demons," He spoke almost cryptically, glancing towards his comrades cautiously.

Taryuu nodded stiffly, sensing them as they entered the far entrance; they were still quite some distance away, but Kanami wasn't even trying to hide them anymore, and that meant she knew they were there, "Kira first," Several heads nodded to this statement.

"I believe our goal lies just beyond this bend," Kurama feet slowed down subconsciously, "Before we go any further, we must all be on the same page,"

Hiei gritted his teeth together in irritation; they didn't have time for this nonsense, there was a hoard of demons heading their way, and they needed to get to the cavern before them, "We go in and kill them, that _seems_ simple enough,"

Kurama shot him a cold look, his impatience would surely be the death of him someday, "It's obvious they are restraining Kira in some way. Whomever has the first opportunity to get to her and pull her back, do so, regardless of who. And then get her out of the area immediately, I highly doubt from the blast that she's in any condition to fight with us,"

"Don't release her unless she's back to normal," Taryuu warned darkly, his brows knitting with a glare ahead, "We'll have a whole different kind of enemy to deal with,"

"And save the psychic for me," Hiei smirked, he had wanted nothing more than to behead that little traitor from the moment they had realized her treachery.

Kurama nodded with a small chuckle, "Fair enough," He conceded as they finally rounded the bend, his emerald eyes squinting as they strained against the new welcoming glow of firelight.

Kuwabara's blood seemed to run cold as he gazed down into the massive cavern: Tobikuma and Tatsumi stood against the far wall, both had smug smiles that he wanted nothing more than to wipe from their faces. Kanami sat cross legged upon the dirt floor, her eyes closed with concentration, a pulsing lavender dome of protection surrounding her body; and in front of her hung Kira, who's ears shifted gently in their direction as they entered the area. His heart began to pound in his ears, "Those bastards…" Yusuke's jaw dropped, his deep brown eyes widening as they traced the little wolf: He was positive her silky crimson dress had been white when she had left.

Hiei followed their line of vision until they finally set on Kira, a fire welling in the pit of his stomach which he tried to subdue as he calculated the damage: Both ankles, both wrists, both hips, her shoulder had been skinned, her tail lay useless on the floor and various other wounds graced her abdomen, arms, legs and back; they were lucky she hadn't simply bled to death. It was likely only due to her being an ice demon - because their blood ran significantly colder than any other, it also meant it generally coagulated faster and seeped from the body slower. He was attempting, with much effort, to thwart off his own rage; he knew a clear head needed to prevail.

"Welcome to our den, Detective and company," Tobikuma continued to smile confidently, "Unfortunately our little Dark Moon won't be able to join you in your demise," His black eyes shifted to view behind them, his smile only growing, "I hope you don't mind, but we've taken the liberty of inviting some friends to play with you instead,"

Hiei's jaw tightened, one hand clenching at his side as the other found the hilt of his blade; the hoard had caught up with them quicker than anticipated. His gaze shifted towards the others, "We fight from the cavern,"

Kurama narrowed his eyes, nodding to this statement as the group simultaneously jumped from the entrance, although Kuwabara landed quite awkwardly due to his ankle, "They do not intend to fight us at the same time as the followers. Take them out first, and then we can deal with the three," He instructed as he pulled a rose from his hair, giving it a violent lash as it extended into his signature Rose Whip.

"Got it," Kuwabara and Yusuke said in unison, while Taryuu simply nodded, holding his hands out in front of him as his palms began to glow a simple blue.

They waited and they watched as the hoard began to pour through the entrance, hundreds running down the pathway, hundreds jumping from the ledge, and hundreds falling clumsily from it, landing awkwardly in ways Kurama was positive would break their bones; and they were all headed straight for them in a frenzy.

Yusuke held his hand out in front of him, the opposite hand finding it's way to his wrist to hold it steady as his pointer finger began to glow a faint blue, "Let's do this! _Spirit Gun_!" He released the massive blast forward, and all hell broke loose.

" _Spirit Sword_!" Kuwabara shouted, charging forward with determination into the hoard, ducking and slashing as he went.

Kurama smiled faintly as Hiei seemed to disappear into thin air, the telltale various screams and trails of blood splatter giving away his location; he nodded firmly and began slicing away.

They quickly found that, although they were no much more difficult than brainless, Cultivated Humans they had faced in the past, the sheer quantity of demons was beginning to push them back further into the cave. Hiei noticed, just as quickly, that the hoard showed absolutely no interest in the hanging form of Kira. They moved around her as if she wasn't there at all, ' _Of course, the psychic controls them_..' He realized, his eyes narrowing as he began to cut his way towards where she was bound. There was a chance he could at least free her, and then deal with the bloodthirsty wolf on his own - he had done it once before, after all.

"Hiei!" Kurama shouted out through the crowd, clearly seeing his targeted intention, his teeth gritting together as he ducked and slashed away, "Do **not** release her!" As she was now, their safety couldn't be guaranteed, no ones could. His emerald eyes narrowed as the fire demon cautiously approached the chains and stood before Kira, "Hiei!" He had to snap him out of it before he made this horrendous mistake.

Tatsumi's laugh began to echo through the cavern; taking twisted pleasure in the conflict from where she stood observing from next to Tobikuma, "Releassse her, ssswordsssman. Shhhe will dessstroy you and everyone in her wake,"

Hiei's jaw clenched as he cautiously tucked a single thumb under the makeshift blindfold; she did not thrash, nor lash out, but a low, feral rumble began to rise from her chest, her teeth bearing while the scrap of shirt fell uselessly to the ground below; her violent brown eyes following the motion of his hand as it fell back to his side. He began to calculate his chances to himself mentally: she was normally faster than him, but her hips were injured and both ankles were torn - but could the pain be felt in this state? He unsheathed his blade slowly, allowing the tip to drop down to her ankle shackle - he knew she could break the bonds without Kanami holding them, so why wasn't she? She was showing restraint, despite her currently empty state, and that was enough of a sign for him.

"Hiei, don't!" Kurama shouted as the fire demon gave a quick twist of the cold metal, shattering one of the restraints. There was no way the five of them could take on the entire demon hoard, the three masterminds, and potentially Kira at the same time. He may have handled it before, but not with the potential of so much collateral damage. His stomach knotted into itself as Hiei brought his blade down to the second ankle shackle, ' _Hiei, please be reasonable_!'

' _Worry about your own battle, fox_.' He scoffed, proceeding to break the second; Kira's feet shifted against the dirt floor, her toes digging into the loose sand beneath her. In just a few seconds, a few swift movements, her hands twisted around the chains at her wrists, the muscles in her arms contracted, and a spiral of light blue energy surged up the chains, freezing them in solid ice before they broke with a shattering snap, and she was gone; but Hiei was quick to give chase.

"Get her out as soon as you can!" Kurama yelled, slashing through a group of the reptilians as he neared Tobikuma, who stood observing the chaos in amusement; it made his blood boil.

' _She's targeting our enemy_ ,' Hiei debated to himself as he tried to catch up with her, she was busy slicing away the heads of the lizard demons in her path, using small ice daggers or her claws as she went. Perhaps she did maintain a certain level of clarity. ' _She needs to return before the wrong person crosses her path,_ ' He decided, latching his hand into the back of her dresses collar and giving it a rough yank, causing her to fly backwards. Another growl passed through her lips as a glowing fist collided with his chest; had he been any other mixture of demon, he was positive the solid blow would have frozen his entire body, "Kira!" He scolded as he grasped the injured wrist that had just connected with him; but she quickly brought her foot upwards, connecting it with the side of his head. Although his vision was clouding from the swift kick, his free hand latched onto her ankle, giving it a hard yank which buckled her grounded leg, but instead of simply allowing herself to fall to the ground, she quickly swept leg across his ankles; she was going to take him down with her, and then he would be in her grasp.

Whether a brief moment of fates inter tangled web, or by some strange coincidence, the instant her back collided against the sand a familiar pained scream pierced the air, echoing around the dome-like cave. As Hiei crashed to the ground atop the currently bloodthirsty Kira, his head instinctively snapped towards his comrades cry, his eyes setting on Yusuke, whose shoulder had been impaled by one of the reptiles sharp claws, "Yusuke!"

Hiei's eyes widened with surprise, that was certainly not his voice that had called out to the Detective, his gaze shifted to the ice demoness under him; her neck was bent at a strange angle, her brown eyes wide with panic as they searched through the hoard of demons for a sight of Yusuke. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion - that was much easier than expected, "Kira," He snapped.

Kira blinked a few times, curiously adjusting her eyes upwards until they met crimson, "Oh," She spoke briefly before wincing, partially from the aching she suddenly realized was radiating through her entire body, partially from the uncomfortable amount of warmth from the fire demon, and partially due to sheer embarrassment, "Hello,"

Hiei let out a sigh that sounded strangely like a small chuckle as he shook his head; a surge of relief spreading through him, so much so he almost forgot for a moment that they were currently locked in battle, "' _Oh'_?" He mocked in return with a smirk.

Kira stared at him cautiously for a few moments before a grin spread onto her face; she was back, and everyone was here. There had been several moments in the past few days where she would have welcomed death's touch with open arms, hopeless and lost in her own pain; but a strange feeling now welled in her chest - they had come for her after all, "Thank you," She finally smiled, her arms shooting upwards around his neck.

Hiei grunted as he was roughly yanked downwards, quickly planting his hands on the ground to avoid his face crashing into the dirt, "Hiei, get her out of here!" Kurama's voice broke through the chaos. He nodded dutifully, securing an arm around her lower back and lifting the pair of them from the floor.

"What?" Kira protested as they headed in a flicker towards the exit, "No," Her brown eyes widened; she didn't want to be taken elsewhere, she wanted to stay and fight; she began struggling against his grasp as he travelled through the archway of the cave, "Let me go!"

"You've lost your mind," Hiei muttered through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on the flailing ice demoness and rounding the bend, she was absolutely in no shape to fight a battle as this. He would deliver her to safety and return for the psychics head, "Have you seen yourself?!"

"Exactly!" Kira shouted, delivering enough of a knee to his solar plexus that she could escape, but she was quickly slammed into one of the stone walls, kicking up a fair amount of sand with a hand on either side of her head, "I need to!" She ducked under one of his arms, disappearing towards the arched entrance, but Hiei was quick to recapture the wolf.

"You're acting like a child!" He yelled in irritation, struggling to keep a hold on her arms while simultaneously avoiding her wounds.

"Please," Kira pleaded with a sudden calm, perhaps she could reason with him instead, "This was my own fault, I want to help you and the others. This is the entire reason I was sent here, you have to let me do my job,"

Hiei scoffed, he would not be so easily persuaded, "No," He said firmly, roughly yanking her arm over his shoulder as he turned so she was on his back, but she was quick to dig both of heels into the small of his back and kick, separating the two, before she took off back towards the cavern, her hands beginning to glow as she went. He grit his teeth together as he attempted to catch up with her, "Stop being so stubborn, Mutt!"

Kira couldn't help the unceremonious grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth; she knew she was going to beat him there, she had also realized she somehow missed this bickering, "It's what I do!" She shouted over her shoulder as she crested the archway; pausing only for a moment to take in the scene before she jumped from the pathway, "This is my fight too!"

Kurama's eyes widened as he saw the glow of her hands while she fell, "Guard yourselves!"

* * *

 **Keep an eye out for 'Lone Wolf' 'Chapter 25: A Reason to Fight'!**

 **-B.J.**


	25. Chapter 25: A Reason to Fight

**Hello once again! Been plugging away at the PS and some Inuyasha concepts I have in my head as well!**

* * *

 **The next Poll Stories summary for (what is actually a totally overhauled 'A Light in the Dark', for anyone who caught that while it was up) "The Lights".**

 **Summary: When the new Ningenkai Spirit Detective turns up dead, Koenma re-enlists help from the former Detective and his old crew to track down the culprits; but once they finally find them, more and more questions continue to pop up as they're led on a dangerous hunt for their real enemy - whoever that may be. But can they truly trust these killer women to lead them in the right direction..?**

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 **Chapter 25: A Reason to Fight**

Kirazuki couldn't help the unceremonious grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth; she knew she was going to beat Hiei to the cave, she had also realized she somehow missed this bickering, "It's what I do!" She shouted over her shoulder as she crested the archway; pausing only for a moment to take in the scene before she jumped from the pathway, "This is **my** fight **too**!"

Kurama's eyes widened as he saw the glow of her hands while she fell, "Guard yourselves!" He shouted out to the others, quickly encasing himself in a protective barrier from his own Spirit Energy.

As Kira crashed into the ground, her palms slamming down into dirt, a tidal wave of energy poured out of her, freezing some of the lower class reptilians in it's wake, colliding into Tobikuma and Tatsumi (and an unguarded Kuwabara) hard enough to knock them back into the caverns wall; the floor now glistening with ice. Hiei gave a heavy sigh from the top of the path, glancing cautiously towards the fox who simply smiled at him with understanding before he disappeared into the battle - she was far too persistent for her own good, and he already knew it.

"Welcome back," Taryuu smirked in her direction, his massive fists lunging and pounding through the crowd - his raw strength was an obvious advantage for this battle.

Kanami's jaw tightened from behind her lavender dome of protection, ' _She's free…_ ' She thought anxiously to herself, her large crystal eyes following Kira's movements, ' _Maybe I'll still be alive to rip your head from your body_ -' The wolf's words echoed in her head. She had to keep her barrier strong, and needed to make sure the hoard killed them off if she wanted to survive this.

Kira grinned as she stood, her body ached more than she would have hoped, but she had no time to be concerned for the miniscule aches and pains right now as she flickered away into the crowd - she and Hiei had taken out the last hoard with ease, these would be a simple bump in the road to their goal - Tobikuma, who looked quite displeased with her arrival to the battle; Tatsumi, who still had a look of amusement across her horrid, scaled face; and Kanami, who was clearly worried, and with good reason, Kira could _feel_ the fear radiating from her, and after the last few days it excited her to no end.

Kuwabara seemed to be holding his own quite well; although he did have quite a few close calls with the reptiles mouths, he still managed to avoid them (or accidently slid on the ice out of their jaws). Yusuke appeared to be having the time of his life - using brute strength (and his vast knowledge of street justice) to overpower the demons who crossed his path - he may have used up Spirit Gun for the day - but he could _always_ rely on his fists.

Kurama tore his emerald eyes from his comrades battles - the extra help from Kira in this fight would be imperative, but the sheer amount of controlled reptiles was overwhelming, to say the least. It seemed as though for every 4 he or anyone else killed, 8 more were ready to take their place; his eyes searched the area for a solution before it finally clicked. Kanami was the source. ' _Hiei_ ,' He reached out mentally, having absolutely no visual on the fire demon's current whereabouts.

' _What, fox?_ ' Even in his thoughts his voice sounded quite irritable; Kurama assumed he was having the same thoughts about the hoard as he was.

' _Kanami, she's the one controlling them. Take her out, and the hoard will cease,'_

A smirk found it's way onto Hiei's lips - that genius fox, at least he remembered that the psychic was his. Slowly but surely he began slashing and weaving his way towards Kanami; she still had her barrier up, but he could tell it was quite weakened - she was putting too much focus into the hoard, and the Jagan should take care of it effortlessly. A thought crossed his mind, and his crimson eyes swept the area briefly for the little mutt, ' _Kira_ ,'

"Over here!" Kira shouted from somewhere across the cavern, he could see a single clawed hand raised and waving in the air, bobbing up and down as she continued to fight off the reptiles.

Hiei sighed quietly to himself as he shook his head, she had absolutely no discretion whatsoever.. ' _Move for Kanami_ ,' He said simply; she would probably want to take part in dismantling the psychic.

Kira's ears gave a small, curious twitch to this statement before her eyes widened with realization: Yes, she surely wanted to join in that endeavor - or at least watch - how thoughtful of the fire demon, "I don't have time for you!" She hissed, slamming her palms into the icy floor as rough spikes of ice exploded from the ground around her.

Panic erupted through Kanami as she saw Hiei striding his way in her direction, his crimson eyes meticulously locked onto her own, his blood-coated blade hanging at his side and the mysterious third eye upon his forehead glowing as he moved.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't," Hiei's voice was laced with malice as the lavender barrier around the psychic disintegrated under his Jagan; she was able to catch him off guard when he believed her to be an ally, but he wouldn't underestimate her treachery a second time; and she was severely weakened by her lack of rest. He may have been as well from exerting the Jagan's power over the last few days, but he had waited for this very moment.

Kanami's crystal eyes widened, a look of pure terror reflecting back into crimson; she tried to shuffle her way backwards, away from the impending wrath, but there was a sudden rush of air and a firm grip in her long wavy hair, "Me too," Kira whispered in her ear, her fingers twisting into the white-blue locks from where she was crouched directly behind her.

"I was just following orders!" She shouted, her eyes welling with tears; she hadn't even realized the wolf had been coming for her, too.

"Orders to lie? Orders to deceive those who gave you the opportunity to live?" Kira hissed, her anger on a swift rise; she had been deceived by this woman in more ways than one, and despite her once soft dislike of the psychic, she had chosen to trust her, "I **trusted** you,"

"Kira, please! We did this for all of us!" Kanami tried to reason desperately, "I thought we were doing the right thing! We don't deserve to be locked up like animals!"

"But I deserved to be hung up and tortured like one?" Kira laughed mockingly, her brown eyes casting up towards Hiei's until they locked, and he could clearly see the ill-intent in the chocolate orbs, "That was the _right_ thing to do?"

"No!" She sputtered quickly, trying to jerk her head to no avail, "We needed you on our side! It was all Tobi and Sumi's idea to take those actions!" She pleaded, kicking her legs out at the fire demon, "Please, it won't happen again! Let me come back with you!"

Another cruel laugh from the ice demoness, "Again.. You can't even be loyal on your deathbed," She whispered, swinging her free hand around and clamping it down underneath Kanami's chin, her fingers squeezing at the sides of her jaw where it joined her skull, "Open,"

"No!" She shrieked; but Kira only put more pressure on the jointure until it was forced agape. Kanami began to make indistinguishable pleads, but they ceased when there was a fine clink of metal against her bottom teeth, Hiei's blade resting atop her lower jaw.

"Hurry up shorties!" Kuwabara shouted through his pants for air, mentally damning their mutual fondness for cruelty; he was getting overwhelmed by the hoard at this point, he felt as if he were beginning to drown in them.

And with one clean flick of the wrist, he severed the majority of Kanami's head from the rest of her; a brilliant electric shockwave of lavender erupting from her corpse, dropping the reptiles in it's spreading wake.

Kurama exhaled a sigh of relief, casting another smile towards Hiei, who had finally gotten his wish; but the fire demon simply scowled at him as he wiped the psychics blood from his blade onto the bottom of his cloak.

Kira winced, hastily unravelling her own claws from the psychics blood-splattered hair before her eyes instinctively snapped towards the sounds of Tobikuma's rhythmically clapping palms, which she had gotten quite attuned to over the last few days, it must have been a habit of his she hadn't noticed back in the Reikai.

"Well done, little Dark Moon and company," Tobi chuckled, his wings giving a deafening snap outwards, "Now your true tests," He smiled that grotesque smile Kira hated so, the air around them uplifting and spinning about the circular cavern as his hands rose into the air; it was like being trapped inside a tornado with nowhere to go, it almost felt as if the air was being pulled from their lungs. Tatsumi's markings began to glow, her body twisting and her bones breaking down in sickening cracks as she began to transform, just as Tobi had once, before slithering and coiling her scaly snake form around one of his legs.

"Kira, ice shards!" Kurama shouted in gasps, a plan crossing his mind as he struggled against the wind, removing a second rose from his hair and giving it a violent twist, the razor sharp petals spinning off of it and into the erratic air current. Kira nodded dutifully, her palms glowing as she thrust them outwards, releasing hundreds of tiny fragments of ice into cyclone.

' _Guide_ _them_ ,' Hiei's voice rang in the wolf's head, picking up on Kurama's thoughts as he jammed his blade into a nearby pillar with a grunt to avoid being uplifted. Kira gave another nod, her ears folded flushly with her skull as she attempted to focus her energy on each individual shard.

"You fools," Tobi grinned, giving his wings a massive flap as Tatsumi began to glow from where she was coiled around his leg, her fanged mouth opening as water began to practically pour out of it into the cyclone, "You are just as susceptible to them as we are!" He chuckled cruelly.

"No you don't!" Taryuu yelled out, bending his hands as if he were holding an invisible sphere, the water spouting from Tatsumi balling it's way in waves between his palms just as quickly as it was being produced, a poor choice on the serpents part.

Kira gritted her teeth together, the pressure of the funnel beginning to drag her while she concentrated on targeting her shards, Kurama seemed to be having just as much difficulty doing so with his petals, his eyes traced his comrades, everyone, including their true enemies, were being shredded by he and the wolf's attack. Kuwabara let out a shrill shriek as the massive wind currents finally lifted him from the ground, sending him spiralling about the cavern.

"Kuwabara, you moron!" Yusuke shouted from where he clung to a large boulder by the edge of a wall, Kira gave a loud panicked squeal as she, too, was finally uplifted from the icy ground, "Really, you too?!" He groaned, shaking his head as his raven hair whipped around wildly - they certainly didn't **look** like they'd be able to defeat these two; flying about in the air helplessly...

Kurama could have chuckled at the scene, if their lives weren't in danger; with a quick flick of his wrist he coiled his Rose Whip around Kira's calf, reeling her in like a fish before she got too far away from him and wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders to keep her grounded, "Thanks, fox," She smirked up at him, her hands still aglow as she tried to guide her shards.

"Shut it Urameshi!" Kuwabara screamed, trying desperately to reach out and cling to something as he was tossed about the cave like a helpless ragdoll. An idea crossed his mind in that moment; albeit an insane idea, but still a better plan than just swirling around in the wind, " _Spirit_ _Sword_!"

"You fool," Tobikuma let out a confident chuckle, "You'll never get close enough to hit me," He let out another gust from his expanded wings, picking up the pace of the wind.

Kuwabara gritted his teeth together, waiting and spinning, and fending off a large wave of vertigo as he went - he still had one trick up his sleeve, he could do this… His eyes widened, giving a weighted kick to the air in hopes of getting just a fraction closer, this was it.. " _Get_ _long_!"

"Wha-" Tobikuma stopped abruptly, his blackened eyes wide as they moved from Kuwabara, tracing his sword of spirit energy, down to his chest; where blood was already beginning to trail down his muscular torso, "You.." He stopped abruptly with a sputter.

' _That_ _ **had**_ _to be dumb luck_ ,' Hiei smirked to himself, jerking his blade from the pillar as every particle of ice and petal fell to floor simultaneously. Kuwabara dropped to the ground, his Spirit Sword dragging downwards as he went; blood seeped from Tobikuma's mouth, his muscular body dropping onto his knees with a crashing 'thud'.

"He did it…" Yusuke balked as he rose away from his rock, his chocolate eyes wide while he attempted to regain his composure, "Alright, Kuwabara!" He pounded a single fist in the air, his chest swelling with pride for his orange-haired friend.

"Now it's your turn!" Taryuu shouted as he blasted his collection of Tatsumi's water straight back at her, while she was trying to hastily unravel from Tobikuma's collapsed body, the pressure of the pounding blast sending her feeble snake form into the caves wall, "Kira, do your thing!"

Kira smirked, one of her hands beginning to glow yet again as she flickered away from the safety of Kurama towards the massive stream of water. With one single touch of her gentle palm the cascade of liquid began freezing into solid ice - including Tatsumi. It almost looked like a brilliant ice sculpture, "Just to be safe.." The ice demoness flipped up onto the frozen pathway, disappearing to the very end where the dark snake was encased, placing two palms upon the jagged ice. With one final surge of energy she shattered **everything** \- as well as the serpent.

"...Is it over?" Kuwabara questioned as he lifted himself shakily from the ground by Kira with a few strained grunts, his breathing in labored pants - the battle had taken it's toll on him.

Yusuke's eyes swept over the scene; Tobikuma lay on the floor, motionless, in a still-pooling puddle of his own blood. Kanami, once their ally, beheaded on the ground by the shattered chains that once bound Kira, the now-frozen towels they had used on her thrown randomly about the floor. Tatsumi was now splintered into hundreds of pieces - surely there was no way she was coming back from that; everything else, the corpses of hundreds, if not thousands of reptiles, covered in glass-like shards of ice and tattered rose petals. All else was still, "I think so…"

Kira gave a weak smile towards the Spirit Detective, her ears drooping lamely as she placed a hand against the wall to try to steady herself, "I think.." She muttered, her chocolate eyes quickly clouding as she swayed weightlessly, "I'm gonna pass out.."

Kuwabara panicked with a small scream, rushing towards her as she finally collapsed; but halted to a stop clumsily as Hiei sighed from where Kira had just stood, the little wolf folded up in his arms, totally unconscious. Kuwabara blinked a few times, giving a great exhale of relief, "Good save.."

Kurama smiled towards the unconscious ice demoness: she had fought right alongside them despite her severe injuries - she deserved the rest; once she awoke, he would finally be able to deliver his desperately needed apology, and everything had worked out for them yet again.

Yusuke stretched his arms above his head with a large yawn, his eyelids drooping as he slouched his shoulders lazily, "Let's go **home** ,"

* * *

"Where is she!?" Koenma shouted as he barged in the front doors of Genkai's temple, Botan shuffling in nervously behind him, his face positively red with anger. Oh, he had certainly gotten word of the happenings. She had been _kidnapped_? After **intentionally** _running_ _away_? She _killed_ Kanami!? He couldn't wait to knock some sense into that girl.

Instead, he was met with 4 sets of very dark glares, from 4 very roughed up, dirty, and clearly agitated men.

"She's sleeping, binky breath, what the hell do you want?" Yusuke questioned irritably, clapping his palms down upon his knees as he stood.

Koenma blinked a few times in surprise at his tone before narrowing his eyes, "I guess I'll wait, then," He spoke evenly, huffing as he sat upon the floor.

"You'll be waiting quite some time," Kurama stated coldly, raising an eyebrow at the Reikai ruler, "Once she awakes she needs to be cleaned up, stitched and bandaged,"

"That's fine," Koenma stated stubbornly, crossing his arms over his puffed out chest.

"Just come back later, Koenma," Kuwabara mumbled from where he was laying on the floor, glancing towards the toddler from the corner of his eye, "She's had a rough couple days,"

"I certainly will not!" Koenma shouted, "She intentionally ran away! She ended up kidnapped!"

"She was set up!" Taryuu boomed from where he was seated, a growl working it's way from his chest as his tail whipped through the air irritably, "She can tell you everything later, now **leave** ,"

"Koenma, Sir.." Botan cleared her throat, placing a hand on his small shoulder, "I'll let you know when she's ready, perhaps you _should_ ,"

Koenma narrowed his eyes, flicking them between Kuwabara, Taryuu, Yusuke and Kurama, who were all glaring at him in their own ways. With a defeated sigh he stood, raising a pointed finger, "I want an explanation for this,"

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 **I just couldn't resist Kuwabara's shining moment ;P He's one of my favorite characters - he deserves it! This chapter is shorter than they have been but I couldn't merge it with the next or it would be a giant super-chapter of doom.**

 **So, keep your eyes peeled for Lone Wolf 'Chapter 26: The All-Seeing Eye'!**

 **-B.J.**


	26. Chapter 26: The All Seeing Eye Part 1

**I decided to split this into two parts, because it was getting ridiculously long - the second part will be up in 1-3 days :P We are fiiiinally going to see some Kira and Hiei action in part 2 :P**

 **Also, for some reason I haven't been receiving emails about things like follows, reviews or PMs :( So forgive me if I haven't gotten back to you! I'm working through them :) But all of those things are always appreciated!**

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 **Chapter 26: The All-Seeing Eye Part 1**

Kirazuki sat upon her (at least, while she was at Genkai's) bed, dutifully tuning out Koenma's long-winded, loud, and irritating lecture as she watched Kurama painstakingly clean out each one of her wounds; he was currently working away at her skinned shoulder, where grains of sand and small stones were embedded and being removed with a set of tweezers - she would be quite surprised if it didn't get infected. Although they had ultimately won the battle, she couldn't shake the feeling of defeat in her chest - she had fallen directly into Tobikuma, Tatsumi and Kanami's little plan, and they simply played her like a fiddle. Currently, her spirit was broken, and all she wanted for the time being was to be left alone.

" _Kirazuki_ , are you listening to me?" Koenma huffed with irritation, his arms crossing indignantly over his chest.

Kira ears folded back as her chocolate eyes glared towards the Reikai ruler - truthfully, no, not even in the slightest, "Yes, I'm listening _Koenma_ ,"

Koenma sighed heavily - his technique was clearly not working, and she was clearly not grasping the gravity of this situation, "Why would you run? You put the entire mission in jeopardy, you put your _life_ in jeopardy,"

Kira snorted slightly, finding amusement in how 'the entire mission' came before 'her life'. There was no way she could, or would, tell him why she ran; she didn't even know why she ran.. She recalled the horrendous feeling that had surged through her when she opened that door and cringed involuntarily.

"She and Kanami got in an argument. Kira retreated for the safety of everyone as she tends to lose control of the ice when her emotional responses are heightened," Kurama lied for her when she didn't respond, his emerald eyes meeting hers and holding a kindness in them she surely appreciated - it made her sound petty, but it was better than sounding like the green-eyed monster she had been; and it technically wasn't a total lie, "Kanami was allied with the other two the entire time, she staged the entire fight for the sole purpose of luring Kira away from us,"

Koenma blinked a few times in confusion, "She what?"

"Kanami," Kira repeated firmly, anger beginning to bubble up in the pit of her stomach at the mention of the psychic, "She was a traitor. She probably even used _you_ to be sent on the mission. She _deserved_ to have her head ripped off," She muttered the last sentence grudgingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

The tiny Reikai ruler placed a delicate finger against his chin in ponder - why _did_ he send Kanami? She certainly had never appeared to be one of the strongest psychics they had, although it did turn out she _was_ after all. He recalled her just sort of… Picked her, it had just come to his mind when he hadn't even remotely considered sending another one of them in - perhaps she really **did** persuade him into sending her… Well, that explained why they had killed her.. "And how did you manage to be kidnapped?"

"That was my fault, I'm afraid," Kurama smiled sympathetically - he had to wrap things up. He would need to kick Koenma out soon, he had worked through cleaning and stitching all of the exposed wounds he could - her wrists, ankles, the puncture through her foot and shoulder would need to be wrapped after a bath, "They were threatening to kill me if she didn't comply - she felt we wouldn't be able to take them on with just the two of us. Now, if you don't mind leaving, I must tend to the other wounds," He raised an eyebrow in Koenma's direction in a very clear 'that means leave' way.

Koenma narrowed his eyes, pointing firmly to a stack of paper he had left on the windowsill next to her bed, "I want that report finished by the time you come back," He began digging around in one of his pockets, removing what looked like a simple, pale yellow ball, "This will open a portal for you whenever you're ready; Taryuu has one as well. Just squeeze it, throw, and jump," He set it down gingerly next to the papers, eyeing her one last time, "And **don't** forget the paperwork," He would certainly have a lot of explaining to do to his father as it was..

"I got it," Kira snapped, her eyes following him as he trailed out the door, her ears bending in the direction of the closed frame to hear his feet shuffle down the hallway, "Thank you," She said abruptly once she was sure he was gone.

Kurama smiled with understanding as he guided her to her feet, "I assumed the truth would be a tad revealing for your liking," She said nothing, simply turning around and sweeping her long hair out of the way of her zipper - for some reason, she didn't quite want Kurama to touch it, "Have you spoken to him?" He questioned softly, wincing as he practically had to peel the dress away from her skin as he went, flakes of blood chipping off the entire way.

"No, and I have no desire to," She spoke coldly, quickly wrapping her hair upwards and tying it off with another strip of her hair, "It was childish," She grimaced as Kurama tried to gently tugged what was left of the sleeve off of her skinned shoulder - perhaps the bath would have been better before if only to get the damn dress off.

"Kira," Kurama sighed as he aided her in stepping out of the stained and tattered dress - quite frankly, the undergarments Botan had provided her were just as tattered, bloodied and dirt stained - but they could simply be shifted out of the way to access any wounds under them, "It wasn't childish, it was a perfectly normal emotional response. You care for him, I think more so than just a battle comrade; and I believe it's a mutual sentiment,"

"It doesn't matter," She said quickly as she sat herself upon the bed facing the fox, knowing the wound under her ribcage was by far the worst and wanting nothing more than this conversation to be done, "I'm leaving soon, end of story,"

Kurama gave another weighted sigh with a gentle frown tracing his lips as he began working away at cleaning the abdominal injury - once again, she was stubborn beyond any form of reason. Although, admittedly, she did have a point: there was no guarantee that they'd be assigned to the same mission again, especially given Koenma's clear disapproval of how this one went, and that meant there was a chance the two's paths may very well lead in different directions for quite some time. By the time he worked his way around to the gaping hole which once housed her tail, he was pleasantly surprised: the break was incredibly clean, he only needed to remove a few stray bone fragments, and it was exactly one vertebrae short of actual, possibly permanent spinal cord damage: Tobikuma must have either known what he was doing, or had very exceptional luck. They worked through the rest of her wounds in silence before he beckoned for Yukina to draw the ice demoness a bath, stressing the fact that it needed to be very, very hot, less the wolf end up freezing into it. The koorime had very hesitantly agreed: although she, as an ice apparition, preferred cold baths, she also didn't freeze cold water when it touched her skin.

Kira winced as her toes entered the water - it was certainly scalding, but she knew her own body temperature would rapidly cool the liquid, Yukina could clearly see the pain as she entered the large tub, "I apologize it's so hot,"

"It needs to be," Kira smirked as she lowered herself in, the water almost instantly swirling into a faint brown color from the remainder of the dried blood; after only a few seconds, the water temperature began dropping and she could finally relax into it.

Yukina nodded as she picked up a small bamboo water bucket, her crimson eyes sadly tracing her icy friend as she dipped the bucket into the cooling water, wondering to herself what exactly had happened to Kira but choosing not to ask, "I'm sorry this happened to you.." She spoke sympathetically as she poured the water over her long hair, the liquid in the tub growing darker as she went.

Kira was growing tired of feeling as if people were walking on eggshells around her (except, of course, Koenma) - it had been her choice to run away, her choice to go with them, and so it was her fault it had happened, "I'm alive," She replied simply, her fingers finding their way to the two tiny pearl-like gems floating from her neck in the water. She was very thankful they hadn't taken it from her or that she hadn't lost it; a thought crossed her mind suddenly, "Do you know if anyone brought my bag?" Her charm bracelet from Keiko had mysteriously disappeared at some point - she had definitely had it while she was held captive, although she couldn't recall if she had it during the battle...

Yukina nodded with a smile as she ran her fingers through the wolf's wet hair, "Kurama brought it back with you. I believe he left it in your room,"

Kira nodded, making a mental note to check the bag later, wincing as the koorimes fingers combed through a matted knot - truthfully, part of her wanted to rid herself of her hair. She couldn't seem to shake the feeling of Tobikuma's clawed hand twisting its way into the long locks before he ripped her head backwards, the towel over her face, and how she'd wished her lungs would finally just give out on her.. It was fascinating how a simple act such as a companion washing her hair could bring back such a horrendous feeling...

* * *

"Kira," Kurama called from outside of her door late in the night, his knuckles gently knocking against the thick wood, "I need to change your bandages," He tried to reason, his hand finding it's way down to the knob, which was surprisingly cold - and also didn't budge when he tried to turn it.

"Go away." Kira called back from the confines of her room.

"What's going on?" Yukina asked in a soft whisper from where she was walking down the dim hallway.

Kurama jumped slightly in surprise - he had thought everyone would have been asleep by now. He gave a heavy sigh before pointing a single finger at the doorknob, "She's locked me out," He held up the untouched roll of bandage in his hand, "I need to change her wrappings,"

Yukina smiled, gently taking the roll from his pale hands, "Allow me to try," She suggested politely, placing an easy palm on the doorknob: the ice essentially dissolved under her touch.

Kurama leaned his back against the wall as she entered, waiting patiently while he tapped his foot on the wooden floorboards of the dark hallway. Only (if even) 45 seconds later, she shuffled her way back out of the room with a look of deep defeat in her soft crimson eyes, "She wishes to be left alone.." She spoke somberly as she handed the roll back to the fox.

Kurama couldn't help but smile - Yukina was far too kind hearted to deal with the wolfs ever constant defiant attitude - but that didn't mean the koorimes counterpart was as easily persuaded. His confidence in the situation soared at the thought, "Thank you for your effort," He said briefly, turning on his heels and heading towards one of the temples many sliding doors which lead outside into the chilled night.

' _Hiei_ ,' He reached out mentally, knowing the fire demon was likely not only still awake, but also somewhere nearby.

"What?" Hiei spoke, in typical Hiei-fashion, from behind Kurama, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall and a single eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"I need your.. Assistance," The fox gave a coy smirk as Hiei tipped his head quizzically; promptly heading back inside with the fire demon on his heels until they reached their destination. "She's frozen the door shut," Kurama sighed as he turned the roll of bandage over in his pale hands, "Yukina managed to get through, but I'm afraid she's a bit.. Timid to deal with Kira," He chuckled, but he received no response from Hiei - who was quite agitated: he was not the wolf's keeper, nor her babysitter, and Kurama should know by now how to deal with her - it was like he was somehow the only one who paid attention. "She didn't harm her, simply told her to leave," He added quickly when he was only given silence.

"I didn't need to ask," Hiei smirked as he snatched the roll of wrappings from the fox, turning and placing a single hand on the frigid doorknob. He paused for a moment, his crimson eyes shifting towards Kurama, "Go," He said simply before his hand began to glow against the golden knob, the ice practically falling off of it onto the floor.

Kurama nodded dutifully, turning on his heels and beginning to trail down the hallway with a small smile upon his face. He didn't know why, or even how, but Kira had managed to change Hiei - he had known the fire demon for quite some time, but he had never known him to actively or openly care for someone - it simply wasn't in his nature. Whether they were simply meant to be battle comrades, or something more, Kurama was proud of his longtime ally for bonding with someone, he was also glad it just so happened to be Kira. Neither needed a stronger counterpart to care for them, nor would either accept a weaker companion they had to care for - they balanced like a scale not only in strength, but also in intellect and wit, and quite possibly emotional instability. He cringed at the last thought: hoping he hadn't just created a war zone...

Hiei's eyes swept the darkened room as the door creaked and latched shut - illuminated solely by the almost full moon peeking through the window next to the bed where Kira stood, her chocolate eyes tracing every detail of the glowing orb in the sky while her fingers fiddled mindlessly with the large stack of papers on the windowsill, ice circled underneath her bare feet. She wore, what he assumed, was one of Taryuu's white t-shirts; the sleeves alone almost reached her elbows, while the bottom hem stopped just above her knees.

"Is a frozen door not a strong enough hint for you people?" She spoke frigidly, an eyebrow raising in subconscious irritation. Was it too much to ask to just be left alone? She didn't want to be bothered, especially by him; she would never admit it, but she was still quite embarrassed she had ran away to begin with - and his presence only reminded her of that.

"Perhaps if you weren't acting like a child the fox wouldn't be troubling _me_ to babysit **you** ," Hiei retorted as he strode through the darkness towards the ice demoness, the tips of his toes stopping at the edge of the jagged ring of ice about a foot away from Kira where the cold radiated in waves; although the chill didn't bother him, it did trouble him.

"I don't _need_ to be babysat, you can feel free to leave if it's such trouble. You're _wanted_ here about as much as you _want_ to be here," Well, that was an unfair dig.

"Are you done, Mutt?" He replied simply, reaching out a hand to grasp her arm, but he was quickly thwarted with a bright shock of electric blue. He sighed, rolling his crimson eyes: it was as if her dogheadedness intensified any time she was in any form of negative mood; although perhaps it was the challenge that kept him there trying, "Or is the prospect of infection a pleasant one?"

"Will you _please_ just go away. I'll take care of it," She exhaled as she heard the sounds of energy sparking behind her again - persistence was not the key here. A small half smile, half smirk tugged it's way onto her lips as she continued to exude more of her spirit energy into her own little shield, listening to the crackling intensify and taking great pleasure in knowing he was probably in a fair amount of discomfort.

"Will _you_ **stop**?" Hiei questioned in frustration through gritted teeth - the flesh on his arm was going numb, but he pressed on millimeter by millimeter, using all of his weight to try breaking through this ridiculous barrier. Of course, he could've used the Jagan and simply shattered it, but that felt too much like admitting defeat.

Kira sighed heavily, her brown eyes slipping closed as she finally tore them from the moon; he was going to end up actually damaging his arm - and _he_ had the gall to call _her_ stubborn all the time.. In one swift and simple movement, she dropped her barrier and sidestepped.

Kurama winced as he heard quite the loud crash down the hallway from where he was laying in his own bed, his eyes absently scanning a book but retaining none of the information he was currently reading. He wondered silently who had finally gotten fed up with who; the adult side of him wanted to check on the pair and make sure they weren't harming each other, or that Kira wasn't somehow ripping open her stitches, while the childish side of him wanted to eavesdrop outside the door… He pondered both options for a moment.

With a gentle sigh, he resolved to stay in the warmth of his bed; they were perfectly capable of handling themselves in a mature, adult manner.. Right? Right...

Alright, not enough of a sidestep… Kira groaned into the wooden floorboards - she had felt physically fine before, but now all of her aches and pains had returned full force, "Get. Up." She hissed, planting both of her palms on the ground and trying to lift herself.

Hiei smirked as he sat upwards, seated heavily on the back of her thighs; being sure to keep his weight on the wolf so she couldn't escape - apparently she had forgotten he could infiltrate her thoughts, and now victory was surely his, "Are you done?" He repeated triumphantly.

Kira briefly considered her options… Surrender and comply, or try to kill him… With a final huff she set the side of her face down on the floor, her ears folded flushly with her scalp in irritation, "Fine…" She muttered, cringing as he placed a firm palm on her lower back to keep her down only long enough to turn himself around; she glared at the wall she could see underneath the other side of her bed, "I have to stay on the floor?" She practically whined, ' _My bed is_ _ **right**_ _there.._ '

"Foot." He commanded sternly as he ignored her question; she could consider it punishment for being so childish in the first place. She sincerely wished her leg was long enough to kick him in the face as she bent her knee backwards until she felt her toes tap something; quite roughly, he clamped a hand down on her wrapped ankle, setting the roll of bandages down on the floor and working at unraveling what was already on the pierce wounds through her foot.

"I should've just let Yukina stay…" Kira groaned with regret, folding her arms in front of her on the floor and setting her forehead atop them - at least Yukina was moderately cold like herself, she was probably also a great deal more gentle, and she wasn't Hiei.

"Yes, you _should_ have; you could have even allowed the fox in instead. Now _I_ deal with you," Hiei smirked as he tossed the blood stained wrappings to the side, momentarily observing the clean puncture, "This is where you were bitten," He stated matter-of-factly.

Kira nodded absentmindedly into her arms, closing her eyes sleepily thanks to the warmth produced by the fire demon - although she was still upset she was on the floor, "They played connect the dots with my scars," She gave a small attempt at a chuckle.

Hiei frowned, turning his head to observe the rest of her curiously - how had he **not** noticed before now that her scars had 'disappeared'? Perhaps he didn't pay as much attention as he had thought. He cautiously reached his free hand up to the thin fabric at his forehead, tucking a thumb under it at his temple and removing it. As the Jagan opened itself, he carefully placed two of his fingers on the punctures at the bottom of her foot, "Show me,"

* * *

 _Kira laughed joyously as her hands began to glow a faint blue, extending them out in front of her before sweeping them in an outwards motion, a massive boomerang shaped blade of ice jettisoned from her palms into a cluster of the reptilian invaders, their heads sliced cleanly from the bulk of their bodies. One particular head rolled it's way towards her foot, "Ew.." She winced, but as she prepared to take a step back, the disembodied head latched onto her foot, sinking its sharp fangs into the sensitive flesh._

 _Hiei saw himself appear next to the ice demoness, quickly crushing the head with his foot with a confident smirk, "Not fast enough?" He questioned condescendingly._

 _Kira opened her mouth to reply with some snide comment; but a searing, burning pain erupted up her leg, causing her to cry out in pain._

 _Tobikuma gently unlatched one of Kira's ankles from where she was shackled, picking up her dirt covered foot in his hand, "You still haven't fully healed from the venom," He stated as he traced a single talon from her ankle down to her toes._

 _Kira heavily resisted the urge to kick him directly in his disgusting beak of a nose, that would only work against her in the long run, "Fascinating," She muttered as she closed her other eye._

" _We truly are extraordinary creatures," Tobikuma spoke as his sharp talons traced the scars of the old bite wound, grasping her ankle firmly with his free hand, "We transcend the natural balance of life, give it new meaning, and yet we are… Under appreciated, under estimated.." He sunk his claws into her cold flesh and Kira gritted her teeth together as she screamed through them, her head snapping forward as she felt them pierce through to the underside of her foot like knives, slicing through tendons and ligaments as they went. She tried to kick out at him, but his other hand held her in place as he withdrew his now bloodied hand in one swift motion, "We should not be divided this way," He spoke sadly, slamming her foot back down onto the ground; Kira whimpered as she felt the gritty sand clinging to the all too fresh wound._

* * *

It was strange, she hadn't been able to actually see the memories she knew Hiei was digging through, the memories attached to the wound; but she could feel them. Surely, if it were anyone else, they would have apologized for intruding - but not Hiei, he simply proceeded in silence, slipping his hand down her cold skin to her calf and unwinding the first ankle quickly before moving to the second - those seemed to have been skinned in the same manner as her shoulder.

Unfortunately (for his own curiosity) far too many memories were attached to the initial scar - memories from the Reikai where they didn't trust their own little creations enough to let them roam freely without shackles, even as children; where they ran torturous tests and conditionings on them by restraining their arms and legs - but he could very clearly see Tobikuma's portion.

* * *

" _Little Dark Moon," Tobi sighed heavily as he shook his head, crouching down in front of the ice demoness and reaching his clawed hands out for one of her chained ankles, "Have you decided to join us yet?"_

 _Kira growled into her arm, her intense chocolate eyes snapping open to watch him unshackle her, "Can you not figure out that it's not going to happen?" She snarled as he gently pierced her skin with a single talon, bringing it downwards to create a thin vertical line._

 _Tobikuma shook his head with a few clicks of his tongue, beginning to focus on tracing the outer lines of the scar like a concentrated artist, being sure to hit every line, "If you're sure," He sighed again; Kira cringed as he tucked his razors under the skin of the vertical cut, and she finally screamed when he began carefully working at separating the skin from the tissue beneath it._

* * *

"Are you having fun?" Kira smirked lazily into the floor; at least she wasn't the only one with childish tendencies. Once again she received no response, but she could feel her ankles and foot being re-wrapped, ' _Sure, I'll just let you hop around my memories and you can not answer me at all,_ ' She thought to herself sarcastically, a growl unintentionally rousing from her chest.

"Calm down," Hiei muttered irritably, focusing on bandaging the wounds for the moment, "Do you remember all of them?" He asked, seemingly out of the blue once he had finished.

Kira's ears twitched with curiosity to this question - of course she remembered all of them; they were permanent disfigurements, how could she forget how they came to be? "Yes," She answered simply, refusing (quite immaturely) to give him the satisfaction of any detailed explanation. Although she couldn't see it, he rolled his eyes, having picked up on her moody disposition; she felt his weight shift backwards slightly and waited patiently until she felt a set of warm fingers scrape across the sets of paralleled stitches on her calf.

* * *

 _A young Kira's chest heaved up and down as her golden eyes turned upward from where she hung helplessly by a single clawed hand, praying her most trusted companion was on his way, "Ryuu!" She shouted, trying to swing her dangling arm to the cliff's ledge but missing pathetically. She refused to die by falling to her death in a Simulation._

" _Got ya," A young Taryuu's smiling face peered over the ledge, clamping a still massive hand down upon her thin wrist, "I thought you were done for,"_

 _Kira grinned up at him, swinging her free arm up to grasp his wrist, "Not that eas-" She screamed suddenly as a piercing pain erupted at the back of her knee, her head darting downwards only to find the demon she_ _ **thought**_ _had plunged to its death attached by it's claws to her leg; he must've managed to grab onto the side of the cliff, "Don't you dare let go," She threatened the dragon quickly._

 _Taryuu simply grinned down at her, "You know better than that,"_

' _This is gonna hurt…' She lifted her free leg, delivering a heavy blow to the demon's face.._

* * *

Hiei found it quite fascinating her memory was so vivid for every one, and so he worked through each one he could find while the wolf dazed off into a warmth induced slumber. After quite some time she was stirred awake by the sound of the fire demons voice, "Can I let you up now?" He questioned suddenly.

Kira lazily raised an eyebrow, "You could've let me up in the first place.."

He knew better, shaking his head and chuckling at the notion; she was far too volatile when he had first entered, but of course she'd never admit to that..

* * *

 **Comin up shortly is 'Lone Wolf' 'Chapter 27: The All Seeing Eye Part 2'**

 **Warning: Part 2 has nudity and some... sexual-ish situations-kinda; nothing too extreme, promise!.. Yet! That's right, people, we're finally gettin there :P**

 **-B.J.**


	27. AUTHORS NOTESNEAKY PEEKY

**HELLO HUMANS!**

 **I have not died!**

 **I know I'm not** _ **technically**_ **SUPPOSED to use a chapter for an author's note, but…**

 **First of all, I want to say I'M SUPER SORRY and I feel I owe you guys an explanation - I said I'd update in a few days and then disappeared. Unfortunately, a completely devastating and unexpected death rocked our family in the beginning of January and we are** _ **still**_ **doing our best to heal through it at the moment.**

 **My muse for everything kind of.. Ran away with everything going on - but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things - I've been writing little random stories to help lately and I honestly just want to get back to** _ **normal**_ **. Within the next few weeks, I want to start re-watching the series to get myself back in the groove - I've also been going through and re-reading previous chapters WHICH I have been slowly editing and adding on to because I feel like my writing has changed since I first started this story when comparing the first chapter to the last posted chapter :P - special shout out to those reviewers who pointed out some of my mistakes - I'll be working to correct those! :)**

 **Also BIG LOVE to user** **smilebang** **for the concerned message - seriously, thank you, thank you, thank you. It actually meant a lot that someone who didn't even personally know me took time out of their day to message me - some people I know in real life couldn't even be bothered with that, so thank you from the bottom of my heart :)**

 **Anyway! Hopefully, I can get myself back at it again. Thank you to those who have stuck around and thank you or the patience! Hopefully, you'll be seeing me in a couple of weeks with 'Chapter 27: The All Seeing Eye Part 2'!**

 **IN THE MEANTIME (spoiler alert ;P) - Here are some sneak peeks from (1) 'Chapter 27: The All Seeing Eye Part 2' and (2) 'Chapter 28: Run.'**

 **SNEAK PEEK: The All Seeing Eye Part 2**

* * *

 _Hiei raised an eyebrow, his crimson eyes momentarily darting to the hilt of his blade, a smirk finding its way back onto his face, "Are you sure?"_

 _Kira shrugged one of her shoulders carelessly, "Probably," She flinched when she felt a firm grip at the very end of her hair, but when she opened her mouth to question she felt cold metal slide against the top of her shoulders, followed immediately by the familiar sound of one long, clean slice. Her canine-like ears gave a few large twitches, feeling the sudden lack of weight on her scalp - he_ _ **really**_ _just cut most of her hair off… Her eyes batted several times as her brain tried to process that seemingly simple fact._

" _You said probably," Hiei's voice held a mock-apologetic tone to it as he returned the shoulder shrug casually, smirking as he re-sheathed his blade; releasing the mass of hair carelessly where he had discarded the old wrappings - at least it wouldn't be in the way now. "Up," He said sternly, grasping the bottom of the severely over-sized shirt she wore on either side._

 _Kira huffed indignantly, but rose both of her arms above her head nonetheless, "I am not-" She stopped abruptly with a sharp intake of air as she felt his rough knuckles graze her sensitive sides, sending a foreign shiver across her icy skin, her ears giving a few more twitches as the shirt's collar ran over them - the action, once again, did not go unnoticed; a set of crimson eyes tracing the eruption of goosebumps down her spine - but she quickly finished her statement as she dropped her arms back down to her sides, "A child,"_

" _Then don't act like one."_

 **SNEAK PEEK: Run**

* * *

 _Kira stared down at the pale yellow orb in her hand, her fingers tracing its smooth surface as her chocolate eyes strained to adjust to the darkness, the cool night air washing over her and giving a gentle calm to her inner animal._

 _This way would be easiest._

 _No drawn out, heartfelt goodbyes, no tears from Keiko or Yukina, no ache in her chest as she looked into the eyes of her comrades for what could potentially be the last time.. She had known this day would come from the second she dove headfirst into this mission, but what she hadn't accounted for was these people. This strange mismatched group of humans and demons that had managed to claw a rift through everything she had once known._

 _Her mind began to wander to a familiar pair of crimson eyes; but she quickly relinquished the thought to the back of her mind. She couldn't do that right now,_ _ **any**_ _other time but now. Now was pivotal to her return. She had dozens just like herself, waiting to hear news of their victory, that they may_ _ **finally**_ _serve the one purpose they were created for..._

 _She needed to go_ _ **home**_ _.._

 _She took a deep breath, giving the tiny fragile ball a squeeze in her palm and tossing it out into the unkempt grass in front of her. Sure enough, seconds later that familiar swirl of blue erupted from it's core._

 _But her entire body froze as she sensed a gentle presence cresting through the treeline behind her.._

" _Sneaking away in the middle of the night?"_

 _So much for that plan..._


End file.
